


Angus McDonald and the Flight of the Flying V

by anonymous_moose



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Found Family, Gen, M/M, Mystery, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-10-19 18:24:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 56,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10645485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonymous_moose/pseuds/anonymous_moose
Summary: They've come a long way, but even ten years after the world was saved, they're still not quite where they should be. A whim, a missing painting, and a handful of near-death experiences help a flip wizard and his apprentice bridge the gap.Taako does his best. Angus takes some risks. Introductions are made, bonds are tested, and lessons are learned — better late than never.





	1. Come a Long Way

**Author's Note:**

> This is it, ladies and germs — the Big One. Been working on this sucker since January, so look forward to regular updates. (None of which would be possible without legendary beta, orchidcactus.)
> 
> If you want to shout at me at length about TAZ, found family dynamics, my dumb OCs, or how badly I'm fucking up characterization, hit me up on tumblr @mystery-moose!

Like so many things in Taako's life, it all started with a spur of the moment decision — a whim, really. He woke up one day, rolled out of bed, and thought to himself, _I'm going to Neverwinter._

He never stopped to think about it. Why second guess yourself? No point to it, in Taako's mind. You know what you want to do, you go and do it, simple as that. So he packed up his bags, called Kravitz to let him know where he was going, and set off first thing in the mid-afternoon.

A week later, Taako strode through the massive main gates of the oldest city in Faerun, purse slung over one shoulder, umbrella dangling from his wrist, big hat shading his brow and brand new sunglasses on his face. The part of him that was still wrapped up in his self-preservation hated the city; too many folks stuck too close together was a recipe for trouble, and he'd never been all that big on people to begin with. But another part of him loved striding down the street like it was his own private catwalk, loved the stares he got from passers-by, loved any excuse to swish and swagger like the peacock he knew he was.

(Taako rarely let himself get wrapped up in his own vanity anymore — Wonderland had clipped those wings pretty good — but there were days when he caught an updraft and felt his ego soar, and he relished them.)

He made his way to his destination with purpose, paying only enough attention to avoid the wagons careening through the streets and the occasional pothole or errant pedestrian. Taako did have a reason to come to Neverwinter specifically, after all. He had no desire to delay it, even if it was the middle of the day and he hadn't found a place to stay yet. He'd sort that out later. This took precedence.

By the time Taako wound through the streets of the merchant quarter and found the right building (he'd had to double-check the address, Magnus' handwriting was next-level awful) it was half past three and he was starving. Still, he needed to make a proper entrance, so Taako adjusted his sunglasses, tugged on his purse strap, and marched up the steps to the door. He pushed it open and strode through the foyer, up the stairs, and through the second door with the frosted glass and the familiar name on it.

Inside, beside another door, was an tall orc sitting at a spotless wooden desk. Older (or maybe just nervous) with thin gray hairs streaking through his dark hair, pulled back in a ponytail. He was peering through half-moon spectacles as he wrote fastidiously with ink and quill, and didn't look up when Taako entered.

"Sir is busy at the moment," he said politely. "Please take a seat."

Taako didn't break stride. He made right for the second door. The orc noticed a bit too late, and his eyes widened.

"Hey, hey!" he called out, standing from his chair. "He's in a meeting, you can't—"

Taako threw open the door and stepped inside.

The office looked exactly like Taako expected it to; couple of chairs, big desk in the middle, some windows behind it overlooking an avenue. Bookshelves lined the walls, and every shelf was crammed full of books, with the odd knickknack here or there for color, only some of which Taako recognized. On the walls above the shorter shelves were hung wands, souvenirs, degrees from the university, and framed newspaper and magazine articles. All of it, he could tell instantly, was exactly where it was supposed to be. It was the most well-organized chaos he had ever seen.

The boy was leaning back against his desk, legs crossed. His jacket was off, slung over his chair, and his usual cap was gone, revealing the head of thick, unruly hair no one had ever been able to tame properly. His attention was on the room's only other occupant (an older woman Taako didn't bother to pay attention to) but he looked up when the door opened, and the expression on his face was worth the week and a half it took to get there.

Taako threw his arms out and grinned. "What's crackin', Angarang?"

Angus, eyes wide and smile even wider, straightened from his desk (still too tall, Taako would never get used to that) and closed the distance between them in two long strides.

"Taako!" he said, pulling him into a brief hug. "Sir, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know, I'm in town for a bit," Taako said casually, brushing imaginary dirt off Angus' shirt. "You look good, my dude. New glasses?"

"Same as last time, sir," Angus said with a laugh.

"Really?" Taako feigned skepticism. "Must be the face that's changed."

"I'm sorry, sir," said the orc behind Taako. "I tried to stop him."

"It's okay, Gav," Angus replied, raising a hand. "He's family."

Determined to ignore the sudden sharpness of feeling in his chest, Taako turned and smirked smugly at the orc named Gav. Gav glared back, but it became more like a pout as he closed the door.

With a little kick of his heel, Taako spun to face Angus. "You hungry? Because I just got off the road and I am ravenous!"

Angus hesitated, turned to look at the woman in the chair, then back at Taako. "Give me ten minutes?"

"Only because it's you, Ango," said Taako, pinching both his cheeks. "But if I starve out there, it's on your head."

Angus smiled one last time, squeezed Taako's shoulders, then turned back to the woman. As he left the room and closed the door behind him, he heard Angus apologize for the interruption.

"Quite alright," the woman replied, amused. "I had a mother who was the same way."

* * *

 

Taako spent his ten minutes in the waiting room of McDonald Investigations irritating Angus' orc secretary; tapping his foot to a non-existent beat, gently scraping the tip of his umbrella across the hardwood floor, making his chair creak at odd intervals, and generally being a nuisance. The orc steadfastly refused to acknowledge Taako's presence and continued with whatever dull clerical work he had to do.

Taako never liked being ignored.

"Hey, thug."

Gav looked up, slightly annoyed.

"I've been walking all day and I am just parched," he said, gesturing to his throat. "Can I get a glass of water?"

The orc looked off to the side, at the pitcher full of water on a small end table by the door. He looked back to Taako, who smiled innocently. He sighed, and stood from his seat, walked over to the table, took one of the empty glasses from the tray, filled it with water, and went to hand it to Taako.

"Fabulous," said Taako appreciatively, taking the glass.

Gav frowned slightly, acknowledged him with a nod, and turned away. Taako waited patiently for the orc to sit down at his desk again.

"Oh! Could I get a straw?" Taako smiled and pointed at his mouth. "Sensitive teeth."

Now Gav glared at him, visibly biting his tongue. With a flick of his wrist, a golden illusory hand materialized by the pitcher, opened a drawer and plucked out a straw, then floated in front of Taako's face.

"Fancy," Taako muttered, taking the straw as the hand vanished. "Much obliged, homie."

The orc shook his head and returned to his work.

Then he flinched as Taako sipped as loudly and noisily as possible.

This continued for several minutes. When Angus and his client finally emerged from the office, Gav's shoulders visibly slumped in relief.

"Thank you for answering my questions, ma'am," Angus said politely. "I'm sure some of them seemed unnecessary."

"Not at all, detective," the old woman replied. "I appreciate the meeting. I'm more certain than ever that our Museum is in good hands."

Angus smiled and bowed slightly, hands behind his back. The woman returned the gesture (though for her it was more of a nod) and left. After the door closed behind her, Taako set down his glass, stood from his seat and shouldered his umbrella.

"We good?"

"We good," Angus said, walking over and grabbing his cap from a coatrack by the door. "Gavin, close up shop for me, would you?"

"Yes, sir," replied the orc, standing from his seat. "I'll dust up as well, shall I?"

"You don't have to do that, Gav."

Gavin nodded and adjusted his spectacles. "I'm aware, sir."

Angus smiled at him ( _damn but the boy smiles easily, that has to be a good thing_ ) and waved. "See you on Monday."

Taako followed Angus out, twirling his umbrella as he did so. "You know a good place?"

"I do," Angus said, "and don't even think about picking up the check."

He barked out a laugh. "Good one, Agnes."

* * *

 

"So how are you?"

They were sitting at a wrought iron table outside a pleasant little cafe at the end of the street. Angus had assured him the food was good, but while Taako trusted his judgment more than most, he had played it safe and ordered something impossible to screw up.

"Can't complain," Taako said with a shrug. He quickly snarfed down the last of his BLT. "I mean, I could."

"Of course you could."

"But I won't." He gestured at nothing. "Things are fine. Everything's fine."

Angus stared at him in that way he stared when he didn't believe Taako but didn't want to look like he didn't believe him. Taako was an expert in these sort of double-blind expressions, being a duplicitous bastard himself.

"How's Kravitz?" Angus asked, a little too casually.

"Good," Taako said, matching his tone. "He's busy, most days, is all."

Angus nodded and took a sip of his coffee. "Mhm."

Taako sneered. "Don't give me that 'mhm' shit, boychik. Just ask."

"Fine. How busy is Kravitz?"

"Too busy!" Taako declared, reaching for his tea. "He's out too late and leaves too early. Sometimes he doesn't come home at all, for days on end. Some necromancy cult in the Far Reaches or something. We don't talk about work much."

"That's a shame."

"Totally." Taako leaned back in his seat, cradling his cup in his hands. "I'd be worried he's getting tired of me if he weren't trying to play grab-ass whenever he's there."

"Gross, sir."

"Honestly, the man is insatiable! Like a sexual tyranno—"

Angus flicked his finger. A bit of Taako's tea jumped the rim and splashed on his nose. He wiped it off and glared at the boy, who grinned back at him.

"Goofing on you isn't as fun now that you can fight back," he grumbled, smiling behind his cup.

Angus chuckled — he used to giggle, Taako remembered — and took a sip of his coffee. "So you were bored?"

"Absolutely." Taako took a sip and grimaced, then added more honey. "It is dull as doorknobs in that house, pumpkin. I mean, I was happy to lay down some roots and all, but there's only so many times you can eat your own baking and pull weeds in the garden before you start to lose your marbles."

"You could get a hobby."

"I just named two!" Taako said loudly, throwing a hand in the air.

"Well... yeah," Angus admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I meant, like, a new hobby."

"Oh yeah, I'll take up carpentry," Taako scoffed. "That'll be buckets of fun. I can hear Magnus now, lecturing me on how best to carve a duck's asshole."

"It's an option."

Taako flicked a finger of his own. Angus, through a exceptional display of manual dexterity, barely managed to avoid spilling his coffee.

"Hobbies suck." Taako crossed his legs beneath the table. "I'm tired of 'em. This is better. Besides, when's the last time I saw you? You missed last Candlenights."

"And the Bureau reunion, I know." Angus sighed and looked down at the table. "School was so busy, and then setting up the agency..."

"Hey, no tea, no shade, Ango," Taako said gently. "You did what you had to. Place looks great. I'm glad I got to see it."

He smiled, and damn if it didn't make Taako want to smile too. "Thank you, sir. I'm glad, too."

"Shame I wasn't the first, though."

Angus rolled his eyes.

"Really thought I was your favorite."

"Magnus was in town for a trade fair," he explained, biting back a smile. "We ran into each other."

"No, no, it's fine," Taako said, looking away with a pout. "I understand."

"I did call you first, when I got the deed."

"Oh, yeah, on the stone. That's real special."

Angus flicked his finger again. Taako's chair tilted backwards, and he had to lean forward to keep from toppling.

"When did you get this petty?" Taako asked indignantly.

"Couldn't say, sir. Must have picked it up somewhere."

Taako glared at Angus, looking just so furious. Then he started cracking up. Angus quickly followed suit.

"S'good to see you, pumpkin," he said, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Same here, sir," Angus replied with a grin. "You have a place to stay?"

"Hadn't gotten that far yet," Taako said plainly. "I'm not exactly short of cash, though."

Angus leaned forward and put his hand on the table. "Sir, if you don't stay at my home, I'm going to be very upset."

"Don't have to if you're short on room," Taako said, putting up the most token fight imaginable.

"Sir."

"Alright, okay, jeez." He drank the last of his tea and set down the cup. "You're the boss, bubeleh."

* * *

 

Turned out Angus didn't live too far from the agency; his little second floor apartment was in a townmanor at the edge of the merchant quarter. There was a small garden in the interior courtyard, with some flowers, a large oak, and a couple benches. It was honestly nicer than what Taako had expected.

The boy must have caught him staring at that garden, because he started to explain. "I helped the landlord out of a jam a while back. He cuts me a deal on rent, and I don't have to take a cab to work."

"Nice," Taako said, nodding approvingly. "Already got people under your thumb, huh, Djangus?"

"It's not like that," he said as he pulled his keys from his pocket.

"Oh, yeah, totally. I read you." Taako gave Angus an exaggerated wink. Angus rolled his eyes and opened the door.

The apartment was small and sparsely appointed, with only a simple table and two chairs in the kitchen, and a couch and coffee table in the sitting area off to the right by a little fireplace. There was precious little in the way of decoration. In fact, the only immediate sign that anyone lived here at all were the hats and gloves on the rack next to the door.

"Jeez, Agnes," Taako drawled, taking off his hat. "You ever think about a plant or something?"

Angus paused taking off his jacket. "Yeah, I, uh. Figured I should probably decorate the office first. Gotta make a good impression on the clientele and all that."

"Yeah, but what about the non-clientele?" Taako asked curiously, hanging his umbrella on a coathook. "How are you supposed to invite someone over for a little late night mambo if your apartment looks like a furniture showroom?"

Angus chuckled weakly, and for the first time, Taako detected a hint of nerves. "That's... I'm not exactly —"

"What is it, kiddo?" he asked, concern edging its way into his voice despite his best efforts.

"Nothing," Angus said quickly. "I'm fine. I just — I don't spend a lot of time here, y'know? I'm super busy. Heck, I don't even know anyone outside of school or work! So—"

"So what?" he asked. "Why not invite one of them? You gotta have a life that ain't work, Ango."

"It's not that simple," he said defensively.

"Sure it is!" Taako reached over and grabbed him by the shoulders. It was the most comforting thing he could think to do in the moment, which probably said something about his instincts. "Just buy a plant, put up a painting, and say you wanna play tiddlywinks at your place!"

"What does that mean?" Angus asked, scandalized. "She wouldn't p—"

His eyes widened and he shut his mouth faster than you could blink. Taako stared at the boy, and a crooked grin slowly assembled itself on his face.

"She?"

Angus said nothing.

"Pumpkin. Cookie. Peaches." Taako removed his hands and clasped them together. "Do you have a crush?"

"No!" Angus said, then closed his eyes and winced, defeated. "Please don't ask."

"But I must, I must!" Taako threw an arm around Angus' neck and leaned on him. "Bubeleh. You know I won't judge. I mean I will, but for you I'd keep it all to myself."

Angus shook his head.

"Oh, please?" Taako whined. "Come on. Just a name!"

"I think it's time I went to bed, sir."

Taako pouted, and released the boy with a sigh. "Fiiiiiine. You keep your secret. But it won't stay secret for long! You're smart enough to know that."

Angus breathed a sigh of relief, running a hand through his hair. He promptly changed the subject. "I can sleep on the couch, if you want the bed. Is there anything you need? You don't have any luggage, so—"

"Oh, I do!" Taako said cheerily, then pulled a small model tent from his pocket. He tossed it on the floor and in less than a second, a six foot tall, two-foot wide pup tent popped into existence in Angus' living room. Taako pulled the cloth door-flap aside to reveal six large pieces of luggage (and a small clutch) sitting in the much larger magical confines of the Pocket Spa.

"Don't have to worry about me, my guy," Taako said smugly. "I've got plenty of room to stretch out."

Angus smiled sheepishly. "Right. Forgot you had that."

"Needed a place to set it up, though," said Taako, waving the door-flap. "Doesn't exactly have a lock. You want in? Seems like you could use a spa evening."

"Nah, I'm alright. Thanks, sir."

"Suit yourself." He stepped inside and held the flap open to say, "Night, kiddo."

Angus smiled and waved as he turned away. "Good night, sir."

Taako watched him walk back down a short hallway to what must have been his bedroom. He closed the door-flap and stepped into the Pocket Spa with a sigh, then started to take off his jewelry.

This visit had certainly been the right move — the kid clearly needed some company that wasn't attached to his work life. Obviously Taako wasn't ideal — that'd be whoever this crush was, and wasn't he tickled to learn about that — but every little bit had to help. He got the distinct feeling Angus was wearing a bit thin. Not the same carefree kid from back in the day, trolling around the Sword Coast with Taako and Kravitz before he heard the siren song of higher learning and left the nest. Those were good times. The best years of Taako's life.

And if he was honest with himself, the whole reason he was there.

Taako had a certain level of self-awareness, even if he did his best to fight it at every turn. There were at least three ex-Bureau members closer than Angus, Magnus included, and as reluctant as Taako was to admit it, he enjoyed all their company. But puttering around that empty house, spending time looking at the mementos scattered over every room... when he'd finally had enough, there'd only been one person Taako wanted to see.

With a snap of his fingers, Taako's arcane cosmetics fizzled out; he would have taken them off the moment he crossed into Angus' apartment, but there was still that part of him that wanted Angus to see the best of him, and not his (many, manifold) imperfections. He made a point of avoiding the full length mirror on the far wall of the spa as he changed into his pajamas, then opened up one of the trunks sitting on the floor and pulled out a blanket and pillow.

As he climbed into one of the lounge chairs, Taako decided Angus shouldn't know. No point to it. The boy had enough to worry about; no need to add Taako to the list just because the stupid elf had forgotten what solitude felt like. _This is what attachment does,_ that small, selfish voice in his head told him. _Makes you soft. Makes you weak. You used to live like this. Now you get a little lonely and you go running to a child._

Taako growled something unpleasant under his breath and flicked his wrist. The alchemical lights hanging in the Pocket Spa dimmed, and he shut his eyes.

No, Angus shouldn't know. But he probably already did.

He was just good enough not to say anything.


	2. Interlude I: Mise en Place

After the world had been saved from certain doom, Taako knew exactly what he wanted to do: he wanted to take whatever money he had left, and use it to buy a wagon. Then he wanted to troll around the Sword Coast for a while until he worked up the courage to go on tour again. Kravitz would come with, because of course he would, and they would cook every day and bone down every night. That would be his reward, and he'd more than earned it.

Angus had never factored into that equation. Never even crossed Taako's mind. It wasn't until the day of, when he was saying his goodbyes to everyone, that Angus walked up and nervously asked if he could come with. He'd clearly been prepared for a refusal, even expected one, but he'd asked anyway. And for whatever reason — sympathy, pity, concern, genuine affection, or pure whimsy — Taako had said sure, why not?

So there they went, all crammed into a big wagon with a load of cooking supplies, rolling down the road from town to town. That hadn't lasted long; the lack of privacy drove Taako crazy, enough that he spent what was left of his savings on a second wagon so that Angus would have somewhere of his own to sleep. And that sudden lack of funds was the reason he started touring again. The thought of going hungry drove him to perform, same as it always had.

In a roundabout way, Angus was responsible for the return of _Sizzle It Up!_ , and Taako had never forgotten that. Even when it would have been convenient to do so.

Like now, for instance.

"Angus!" Taako clapped his hands. "Mise en place! Toot sweet!"

"Yes, sir!" Angus said, running from the wagon to the table and back again, carrying platters and plates and cutting boards.

"Faster, boy, faster!" Taako shouted, hands on his hips. "The audience is waiting! Move your keister!"

Angus nearly fell racing down the stairs from the wagon. He managed to catch himself, but the set of knives he was carrying fell to the ground and out of their wooden case.

Taako threw his hands in the air. "Time!"

Kravitz, sitting on a folding chair over by the fire pit, looked up from his pocket watch. "Fifty seven seconds."

"Unacceptable!" Taako paced away from the wagon. "Simply unacceptable!"

"I'm sorry!" Angus said, picking up the knives and putting them back in the case. "I can wash the knives—"

"It's not the knives, Agnes! Although yes, those do need to be washed now," Taako added casually. "It's the whole thing! I can't have all my supplies out on the table at the start of the show! It's too cluttered, no space to work! You need to be able to fetch me anything from that wagon at a moment's notice!"

"I know, sir," Angus said, fidgeting on the spot. "I—I'll do better next time."

"Well, I sure hope so, boychik, because next time is right now." Taako crossed his arms. "Put everything back and we'll start again."

Angus looked startled for just a moment, then immediately ran back into the wagon.

"Slower!" Taako called after him. "Save it for the test, bub!"

Kravitz stood and walked over to Taako, hands in his pockets. "You're going to run the boy ragged, you know."

"He's a kid," Taako said with a shrug. "They've got energy to spare."

"Is it really necessary to have him help with the show?"

He looked at Kravitz like he was an idiot. "I need an assistant."  
Kravitz spread his hands. "I'm right here."

Taako nearly laughed in his face. Instead, he smiled and wrapped his arms around Kravitz's neck.

"Darling," he cooed. "Bonbon. Rabbit."

Kravitz rested his hands on Taako's hips. "Yes?"

"You don't know what a spatula is."

He blinked. "That's the... um. The one with — it has holes."

Taako grinned and pinched him gently on the cheek, then turned towards the wagon. "Angus! I said slower, not stop!"

"Two seconds!" the boy shouted from inside.

After waiting precisely two seconds, Taako started for the door. Kravitz stayed behind, staring at the ground and muttering to himself. ("I know it has holes... and it's made of metal. Right? Or is it the rubbery one?")

"Angus!" Taako said, stepping up the wooden stairs into the wagon. "What are you—"

He was standing on the milk crate by the sink, holding his hand under the water. There was a dishtowel over it, checkered blue and white. It was now a very disturbing shade of pink.

"Sorry!" Angus said quickly. "I was putting it back and one of them fell, I tried to catch it, it was stupid—"

Taako was already by his side, hands hovering over his. "Let me see."

"It's not that bad!"

He gave him a serious look. "Let me see."

Reluctantly, Angus lifted the towel. The cut on his hand was long, nearly across the whole palm, but shallow.

"How does it feel?"

"It doesn't hurt that bad."

"But it hurts?"

Angus nodded with a grimace. "The water made it worse until I put the towel over it."

Taako brushed his thumb across the cut. Still bleeding, but not badly. Clotting quickly. "Flex your fingers."

He did, with a little noise of discomfort. Good. No nerve or muscle damage.

With the practice borne of experience, Taako took one of the knives from the case ( _should have been a block, wouldn't have hurt him if it was a block — but the case is more theatrical_ ) and quickly cut a strip of cloth from the dishtowel. He ran it under the cold water from the sink, silently thanked Kravitz for remembering to fill up their tank back in Port Llast, and after he'd wrung the cloth thoroughly, tied it tightly around Angus' hand.

"Sorry, sir," Angus repeated.

"Stop apologizing," said Taako flatly. "You didn't do anything wrong. Well... actually, you did. But it's not your fault."

Angus stared down at the makeshift bandage on his hand. "I should have been more careful."

"You should have!" he said seriously. "But that's not something I can teach you."

The boy looked up, curious. Taako held out his hands and started pointing.

"See this?" he said, pointing at a line on the inside of his middle finger. "Chef's knife. Tried to do some fancy hibachi-type shit, timed the catch wrong. And this?" He pointed to a spot on his left index finger. "Cutting up some green onions. Nothing fancy about that."

He continued: "This is from a pan I forgot was still on the burner. This one's from trying to split and pit an avocado without a cutting board. And this one's from... wait, where is this from?"

Taako regarded the unknown scar at the base of his thumb for a moment, then shrugged and continued. "If you're gonna do this for a living, you're gonna get hurt. No matter how many times someone tells you to be careful, no matter how many stories you hear or how often, you're gonna fuck up. It happens. It's the only way you learn not to."

"So," Angus began cautiously. "I have to hurt myself to learn not to hurt myself?"

Taako smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. "Makes all the sense in the world, don't it?"

"Not really, sir."

"Well, too bad, because that's all I've got. Think of it this way:" Taako gestured to the knives. "You think you'll try and catch one of those bad boys again?"

Angus shook his head.

"Then it's worth something. And hey," he said, bending down and grinning at Angus, "now you'll have a scar from a stupid mistake with a knife. You know what that makes you?"

"A chef?"

Taako turned and found Kravitz leaning against the door frame, smiling warmly.

"Thanks for stepping on my moment, Krav," Taako sneered.

"Anytime, dear," Kravitz replied, stepping inside. "Are we going to try again?"

He turned back to Angus, who was staring at his bandaged hand and flexing his fingers. When he looked up questioningly, Taako sighed.

"Nah," he said, ruffling the boy's hair again. "It can wait."


	3. A Similar Circumspection

Angus woke slowly. He pushed himself out of bed, blinking away strange, shifting dreams. He saw the sunlight shining through his bedroom window, and wondered why he felt so groggy before he realized this was the first time he'd gotten more than six straight hours in over two weeks. _That'd do it_ , he thought, rubbing the remnants of sleep from his eyes and reaching for his glasses.

After a quick brush of his teeth over the sink of his tiny bathroom, he stepped out and walked down the short hall to his kitchen. He never bothered changing from his pajamas until after breakfast, and besides, the smell was simply irresistible.

"Mornin', Agnes," Taako said, waving distractedly over his shoulder as he worked the pan with a spatula. "Sleep well?"

"Just fine, sir," Angus said. He sniffed the air. "Bacon and eggs?"

Taako laughed condescendingly. "You insult me, boychik."

Angus walked over to the oven. The pan was filled with a mixture of chopped bacon, beaten eggs, mushrooms, diced tomatoes and green chiles, plus what looked like spinach leaves and feta cheese. This close, Angus could smell a little garlic and black pepper too. Taako lifted a portion of it with his spatula and let the part still uncooked run underneath.

"Had to pop out and get some eggs," he said, nodding towards the carton on the counter. "The rest I made due with what you had in the fridge."

"I didn't have any spinach."

"Yeah, no biggie," Taako said. He took a bit more of some shredded cheddar from a plate next to the stove, tossed it lightly in his hands until it turned white and crumbly, then added it to the mixture — but only after tasting it, Angus noted. More than ten years on, and he still wouldn't feed anyone anything that he hadn't tested on himself.

"You didn't have to do this, sir," said Angus, leaning against the counter. "I'd have happily cooked. Or we could have gone out."

Taako gave him a look. "Homie, if you really thought I wasn't going to cook, you're not nearly as smart as those degrees say you are. Now sit down, it's almost done."

Angus smiled and said nothing, but he didn't sit down; instead, he leaned his elbows on the counter, watching him work. It had been a long time since Angus had seen him cook, and he'd never seen this particular dish. He could never resist a chance to learn.

With a final lift from the spatula and a light dusting of the remaining cheese, Taako brushed his hands off above the pan and flexed his fingers. He clapped, and between his hands he produced a bright green flame. It hovered about six inches above the pan. Taako lowered his hands until the fire began to sear the dish below it, then pulled one hand away and began swirling it above. The flame began to spin and warp, twisting into a flattened disc, and after he'd gotten it how he wanted, Taako stilled his hand and pressed palm down. The disc lowered until it was barely an inch above the pan, and after thirty seconds or so, Taako snapped his fingers and it went out.

"Platter," he said, lifting the pan off the stove, snuffing the burner.

Angus quickly pulled open one of the cabinet doors. He grabbed one of the two platters he owned ("Only two? For shame, Ango.") and placed it on the counter. Taako slid the dish from the pan before setting it aside, then held out a hand, palm up. As quickly, Angus slid open a drawer and handed Taako a fork. He cut a piece with the side, and after a couple breaths, popped it in his mouth. He chewed, face neutral. Then he took another bite. Only then did a triumphant grin slowly spread across his face.

"Fifteen minutes at three fifty, my ass," Taako said smugly to no one in particular. Then he turned to Angus. "Tell me you at least have more than one place setting, Mickey Dee."

* * *

 

Angus hummed and swallowed. "It's delicious!"

"Of course it is," Taako said, carving off another wedge and putting it on his plate. "Been working on that one for a while. Getting that temperature right is a bitch and a half."

"As always, sir, you make it look easy."

Taako scoffed and reached for his water. "There something in particular you want for your birthday, Agnes? Or are you just buttering me up to get me out the door quicker?"

"Neither, sir," Angus assured him. "What do you call this, anyway?"

" _Frittata ala Taako_ ," he said, making a little flourish with his fork. "If I ever start touring again, it'll be a good opener."

"'Dazzle 'em with the basics.'"

Taako grinned and nodded. "Arcane fire's always a crowd pleaser. Plus, double the recipe means double the spectacle."

Angus dabbed at his mouth with a napkin, one of the four cloth ones he owned. "You've thought about touring again, then?"

"Nothing serious," Taako said with a shrug. "Got plenty of money, so what's the point?"

"It'd get you out of the house."

"Yeah, and in a cramped wagon, alone. Real cheerful." Taako rocked backwards in his chair. "Besides, figured out early on that I need an assistant, so without you or Krav—"

He blinked and went quiet, looking out the window over the kitchen sink.

Angus set down his fork. "Sir," he began. "There's really nothing wrong between you and Mr. Kravitz?"

"No!" Taako said curtly, frowning a little at Angus before looking away again. Then, more gently, he said, "Wouldn't keep that from you, boychik."

_Well_ , _that's as honest an answer as he's ever given._

"Sorry, sir," he said sincerely. "I didn't mean to imply otherwise."

Taako was still looking out the window. Angus wondered if he'd even heard him.

"You remember those days, Agnes?" Taako asked suddenly. "On the road?"

"Yeah, I do." Angus fiddled with his fork and smiled a little. "I remember the first time you let me out on stage. I had to flip a pancake with one hand and transmute it into a waffle with the other."

"Got it first try," Taako said, a trace of genuine pride in his tone that Angus deeply enjoyed. Then he leaned forward and smirked. "And then immediately forgot your cue."

Angus laughed quietly. "You were pretty stunned for a moment, too, if I remember."

"Course not!" he said, feigning offense. "I had total faith in you, Angus."

"Uh-huh."

"Really! I did!"

Angus crossed his arms. Taako brushed his hand to the side and mumbled, "Fine, don't take a compliment, shit."

A silence, not unpleasant, fell over the table. Angus picked up his fork and stabbed the last of his frittata. Taako finished his water and leaned on his elbows, staring at the half-full platter.

"Good times," Taako said quietly, resting his chin on his palm. "Miss 'em."

And that, Angus knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, was the closest Taako would ever come to acknowledging why he was here. Because to admit anything more would be to admit a kind of vulnerability Taako was incapable of. He would sooner die, Angus was sure — or come close to it.

He still wanted to reach over and pat his hand, or stand up and give him a hug. But to do either would betray his knowledge. Angus had long since figured out the delicate dance he had to do to keep Taako from turning entirely inward (progress had been agonizingly slow those first few years) and the last thing he wanted to do was push too far and have him close up again.

(The more logical part of him said that there was no real risk of that, anymore, and likely hadn't been for a long time. But Angus' heart was a cautious thing. He enjoyed what they had too much to risk it.)

Angus glanced up at the clock on his wall (a wooden turtle-shell sigil that Magnus had made for him) and blinked at the time. Nearly ten, now. He'd better get going if he wanted to get anything done.

"Oh jeez, I have to get moving," he said, quickly standing from his chair. "I've got legwork to do."

Taako's head lifted slightly from his hand, and his eyebrows rose. He looked for all the world like a startled cat, unsure which way to dart next.

Angus paused, half turned, and grinned.

"You wanna come with?"


	4. Legwork

Angus changed quickly. He'd never exactly had a large wardrobe, though years of birthday and Candlenights presents from the Bureau (and Taako in particular) had given him a particularly eclectic selection. He chose the usual, and briefly thought about wearing one of his gifts before deciding against it; in all likelihood, Taako would have either forgotten he gave it in the first place, or would pretend to as a goof.

Taako was actually ready to leave before Angus, which surprised him. His new outfit was a little more sedate than the one he'd arrived in town wearing, aside from the constants of his hat, umbrella, and jewelry, while his makeup (beyond the glamour he always cast on himself) was as perfect as it always was.

"Thought you were in a hurry, Agnes," he said smugly, checking his nails.

"Not as much as you, I guess," Angus countered, grabbing his blue cap from the shelf by the door. "You must be excited."

Taako shrugged and said, "It's something to do," and Angus immediately knew he was right. He grinned as he left the apartment, and Taako followed after him.

It was a beautiful day in Neverwinter, and it made for good walking weather. Angus chartered cabs when he had to, but he always preferred to travel on foot. It let him get to know the winding streets and alleyways of the city, and kept him fit, the latter being almost as important as the former. Something Carey had drilled into him back in the Bureau days — it was one thing to know what you had to do, and it was another thing entirely to be able to do it.

Taako, of course, disagreed.

"Are we there yet?" he whined, bracing his umbrella across his shoulders.

"Almost, sir!" Angus said cheerily, pausing to look before crossing the street. Simple legwork like this always put him in a good mood.

As they crossed, Taako made a very impolite gesture to one of the wagon-drivers hurrying them along. Angus led the way down a set of old stone steps into an alley between two larger buildings. There stood an old oaken door, with a viewport and an iron cage over it. Angus knocked once, twice more, then once again. The port slid open and a pair of large, intense eyes stared out, first at Angus, then over his shoulder at Taako.

"What's the good word?" a deep voice asked.

"Never a good word," Angus replied, "only a polite one."

After a moment to glance at Taako again, the port slid closed. A series of snaps and clanks sounded as the door was unlocked. When it opened, Angus ducked inside with Taako close on his heels.

The basement shop had changed a great deal from the last time Angus had visited — he recognized a few of the paintings leaning against the far wall, and there was a bronze sculpture of an aarakocra he'd seen before, but the rest was all new. Art of all kinds littered every available surface, from floor to ceiling across the room. There were scroll cases tucked neatly alongside bottles in a wine rack to his right; urns so old the designs upon them were faded almost to invisibility; a suit of armor with an elaborate chest-piece in the shape of a blossoming rose, holding a spear with a bright blue ribbon trailing from its haft; and a large animal horn tucked into a leather bag that itself looked hand-crafted in a old tribal style.

"Boss is in the back," the goliath said as she closed the door. "You're here to talk to 'em, yeah?"

"Yeah," Angus said, tipping the brim of his cap. "Thanks, Sheila."

Sheila nodded, then glared at Taako, who smiled in what he probably thought was a disarming way.

"Don't worry," Angus said. "You can trust him. Can't she, Taako?"

"Oh, absolutely," Taako agreed, nodding emphatically. "I'm as trustworthy as they come!"

Sheila crossed her arms and didn't take her eyes off him. Angus patted Taako's shoulder.

"I'll be out in a minute," he said. Then whispered, "Don't touch anything."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Taako murmured, smiling and nodding at Sheila.

Angus headed for the only other door in the back of the room, past the long ornately carved dining table where place settings of a dozen different styles were stacked a dozen high. He knocked politely before stepping inside.

This room rarely changed much; pieces came and went, certainly, but there were more fixtures here that Angus imagined were kept as much because of their beauty or sentiment as their price. A massive redwood desk with a relief of an ancient battle scene carved into the front dominated most of the room, with a couple chairs in strange and unique styles sitting by the door. There was a grandfather clock in one corner, mostly hidden behind a bookshelf stacked with tomes so old their titles were long faded. An alchemical lamp with a beautiful stained glass shade sat on the desk, illuminating a collection of papers with indecipherable handwriting.

"Be with you in a sec," the tiefling said, standing behind their desk and writing something on a slip of parchment.

Angus closed the door and waited patiently, hands in his pockets. Rocco was worth waiting for; always polite, always helpful, occasionally difficult but never obstinate. It was a shame they were sort of a criminal, but then, so were a lot of Angus' oldest friends. He tried not to judge.

Rocco finished whatever they were doing, swiping their pen triumphantly as they did so. They straightened and smiled as they removed their reading glasses. "Ah, Mr. McDonald! What can we do for you today?"

"Nothing major," Angus said with a shrug. "Just wanted to know if any new paintings came through recently."

"There are always paintings coming through here, detective," Rocco said. "You know that."

"This would be a big one. You'd recognize it."

"Big as in...?"

" _Flight of the Flying V._ "

Rocco blinked — they seemed genuinely surprised, but Angus kept his eye out for any tells. " _Flight_ has been stolen?"

"Less than two days ago," he said. "It hasn't made the papers yet. The Museum contacted me to look into it quietly before the story breaks."

The tiefling's hand rose up to stroke across their horns and run back over their hair. Rocco stepped around the desk, glancing thoughtfully around the room and looking a little disappointed, if Angus had to guess.

"Detective," they said, turning their attention back to Angus. "I'm... speaking honestly, a bit flattered that you thought my business would be able to fence something like the _Flying V,_ but... even if someone had come in with it, brokering a deal for a painting by one of Faerun's oldest masters is beyond me."

Angus' eyebrows rose — Rocco was polite, but they were never exactly humble. "Is that so?"

Rocco nodded, and they wrung their hands a little as they spoke. "To say nothing of the attention it would bring, _Flying V_ is a masterwork. It's the symbol of an entire artistic period stretching back thousands of years. I'd be afraid to breathe on it, let alone touch it."

"The Curator said it was priceless," Angus said. "But if you had to fence it?"

Rocco almost looked like they'd been asked to put a price on their mother. Then they paused and looked down thoughtfully. Rocco was a collector, Angus knew that, but they were also a consummate professional. There were times those two things had clashed in the past, but never quite like this.

After almost thirty seconds of serious consideration, Rocco looked up and gave their price. Angus balked.

"Are you serious?" he asked, already knowing the answer from the look on Rocco's face.

"It's the place I'd start bargaining," Rocco said firmly. "And I'd take a fifth right off the top for the amount of trouble it would bring."

Now Angus was the one running his hand through his hair. He tried not to set expectations early on in a case, but apparently that ship had sailed, because that was very much larger than he thought.

"You see what I meant, now, yes?" Rocco said. "I'm proud of my business, Mr. McDonald, but I know my limitations."

"Yes, I can see that." Angus shook his head. "Well. This is going to sound unnecessary, after that, but if someone does come in wanting to fence _Flying V_ , can you let me know?"

"I won't be making that deal, so all I'd be able to give you is a description."

"That's fine," Angus said, reaching into his pocket. "Whatever you can do will help."

He pulled out his notebook and a small satchet of bonds — paper money was less visible than gold, and Rocco had an account under an alias at Neverwinter Trust. Angus tore half a page out of his notebook and handed it and the bonds over to Rocco, who pocketed them in a smooth and practiced motion.

"Thanks, Rocco," he said, holding his hand out. Rocco shook it. "Stay out of trouble."

"Quite," they said dryly. "Sorry we couldn't be of more help."

Angus stepped out of the office, preoccupied with his own thoughts, and was startled to attention by an unexpected sound.

"—and I was like, 'careful, don't burn a spell on it!' "

Sheila slapped her knee, roaring with laughter. Taako doubled over cackling and leaned on Sheila's shoulder.

"What a stiff!" Sheila said, wiping her eyes.

"I know, right?" Taako said. "You should have seen the look on his face!"

Angus stifled a grin and cleared his throat. Taako looked over, brows raised.

"We're done!" Angus said cheerily. "Thanks for waiting."

"Oh, no bigs," Taako said. "We really got to bonding, right, Sheila?"

"Yeah. I'll 'member about that nail polish," she said, wiggling her fingers. "Thanks."

"You'll look marvelous, ketzile," Taako replied with a brush of his hand over hers. "Adios!"

They stepped outside and Sheila shut the door behind them. Angus turned and regarded Taako.

"What?" he asked, fiddling with a bracelet. "She's a fun lady. Just gotta get past that rough 'n tumble exterior, y'know? Can't judge a book by its cover, Ango. You should know better."

Angus stared at Taako for a moment, then shook his head and started up the stairs to the street. "It's not her I'm surprised by, sir."

Taako feigned shock. "I'm a social butterfly! People like me!"

Angus turned once he got to the top. "Not normally, no."

"Oh, go to hell, twerp," Taako retorted casually, flipping his hair over his shoulder. "You get whatever it was you needed?"

"Yes and no," Angus said, glancing down the street. "They'll contact me if they hear anything, but I doubt they will."

"You attune your stone with just anybody?"

He grinned. "Even better."

Angus pulled out his notebook and handed it to Taako, who flipped it open and shook his head at Angus' handwriting. "I don't get it."

"Remember that old interceptor book I had?"

"Assume that I do."

"This is the opposite. Sends and receives." Angus allowed himself a moment to geek out while Taako paged through the book. "Anything I write in there gets archived in a journal back at my house, as a backup. And if I tear out part of a page, anything written on that piece appears in both. More surreptitious than a stone of Farspeech, and less chance of being overheard."

"Huh." He furrowed his brow. "You enchant this yourself?"

Angus puffed his chest out a bit. "Yep!"

Taako looked momentarily impressed. It shifted into amusement as he handed the book back. "Cute. Real Caleb Cleveland stuff."

His grin turned sheepish. "I came up with it on my own,"

"Are you sure? Because I seem to recall a similar device from _Caleb Cleveland and the Treacherous Trail_ —"

"A wholly original creation!" Angus loudly declared.

Taako snorted and put his sunglasses on. "Well, where we going now, Poirot?"

"That depends." Angus started down the street with his hands in his pockets. "How do you feel about a trip down memory lane?"

Taako's whole head rolled along with his eyes. "Must you speak in riddles, sahib?"


	5. Crush

The route Angus chose led them to a big square near the center of Neverwinter, a crossroads of a dozen different streets converging onto a central marketplace packed with people from every corner of Faerun. There was a clock tower here, covered in ornate golden filigree, stretching up into the sky. It was one of the tallest buildings outside the noble quarter, and besides serving as an easily visible landmark, kept excellent time.

It was a little past eleven, now. Angus knew the schedules well enough to figure they'd be able to score tickets easy enough, but he wanted to avoid the afternoon rush.

Taako wasn't exactly cooperating.

"How much?"

The aarakocra merchant pointed to the sign hanging from his cart. "Fifty gold, sixty for the shawl."

Taako blanched, the cloak he'd been admiring draped over his hands. "Sixty?! I wouldn't pay thirty for this thing!"

"Price is the price, wingless," the merchant said firmly. "You wanna haggle, go bother the rakshasa."

"Why would I haggle?" Taako scoffed, rolling up the cloak. "Stuff ain't worth my time, anyway."

Angus stood behind Taako, glancing around. He always kept one eye open and a hand on his coin purse whenever he traveled through the market square; getting his pocket picked one unlucky afternoon had taught him that lesson.

Good thing, too, since he was attentive enough to see Taako slip a scarf from underneath the cloak he was replacing on the cart. He tucked it behind his back with the practiced ease of a petty thief.

"This is all fine-count Calimshan silk, dunce," the merchant shot back, his feathers ruffling. "You won't find better prices north of Memnon!"

"Don't bullshit a bullshitter, thug," Taako drawled with a smug grin. "This is a big-ass brand-name markup for chumps, and we both know it."

"Markup?!"

"This is some cast-off outlet shit you got from a thrift store in Tethyr, my dude! You're tripling your money at thirty gold."

Angus touched Taako's shoulder. "Sir? We should really get moving."

As Taako turned to face Angus, he reached over and discreetly pulled the scarf from Taako's belt. Taako's eyebrow twitched, but he grinned and laughed it off.

"No big shakes, boychik," he said casually. "Nothing here worth these prices, anyway."

The aarakocra grumbled, his wings unfurling slightly. "Forty five!"

"For the shawl?"

"No, the cloak!"

He turned away again, disinterested. The merchant made a disgusted noise.

"Fine! Forty five for the shawl!" He grumbled. "You're scaring off my business."

Taako turned and grinned. "Deal!" he said triumphantly, reaching for his coin purse while Angus tried to stealthily replace the scarf on the cart.

Suddenly, Taako spun and his ears pricked up visibly. Angus was about to ask what was wrong when he heard it himself — a sudden crash, loud and clattering, followed by the sound of screams almost drowned out by the noise of the crowd. He barely had time to react before Taako tackled him to the ground.

A wagon, small and built for city travel, crashed through the market stall behind them. People scattered in every direction as it raced through the square, heedless of pedestrians, bouncing over the cobblestones and coming within two feet of where Taako and Angus lay. They watched as the aarakocra took to the air while the wagon splintered his cart, then, accompanied by the screeching crash of wood and metal, it was suddenly stopped by a spell — Bigby's Hand, glowing a neon red, had appeared in front of the wagon and blocked its path.

Angus pushed himself to his feet. Taako was alongside him, dusting himself off. "The hell did that come from?"

"Alright, everyone, please step back!"

A woman, tall and broad shouldered with a long braid wrapped around her neck and a scar on her forehead, marched out of the crowd. She wore shiny full-plate armor and a tabard bearing the sigil of Neverwinter. Angus recognized her instantly as Dierdre Boudicca, Lord-Commander of the militia.

"This isn't a show!" she shouted, marching forward towards the wreckage. "If you need medical attention, speak up! Healers are on their way!"

"Hey! You still have to pay for that!"

He glanced over his shoulder — Taako was halfway through stuffing a shawl into his purse, smiling innocently while the merchant perched with his arms crossed on the ruins of his cart. Angus gave him a look, and Taako rolled his eyes before pulling out his coin purse.

Angus turned back to the crime scene. Militia men and women swarmed around Boudicca, pushing people away and trying to establish a cordon. The massive spectral hand disappeared as another woman he recognized stepped out of the crowd — shorter, younger, and clad in typical militia leathers and longcoat rather than heavy armor. Angus waved and managed to catch her attention.

He liked Silvia a lot. She was clever, compassionate, and had a strong sense of right and wrong. They'd collaborated on a few cases together, and though he'd been prepared for obstinacy, she'd helped as much as she could. It was more than he'd expected from anyone in the militia; private detectives weren't exactly popular with law enforcement. Angus had come to think of her as a very good friend, and he appreciated her help.

(He also appreciated her hair, thick and curly and tied behind her head. And her eyes, hazel brown set against mahogany skin. And her nose, a bit bigger than his, which scrunched up when she laughed. He didn't make any particular judgments about these things, of course. He just noticed them, that's all.)

"McDonald!" Silvia said with a grin as she approached. "Don't tell me this is one of yours?"

Angus smiled back. "No such luck. Can't expect every crook to just fall into your lap."

"You'd be surprised," she said, glancing back towards the wagon. Boudicca was directing others as they hauled the driver out. "Just sort of stumbled into this one, believe it or not. Wanted thief rounds a corner right into the Lord-Commander doing her weekly inspection. He bolts, hijacks a wagon, and there I am doing my rounds when he peels around a corner into the market."

"Jeez. Talk about bad luck."

"For him, sure." She turned back and smirked. "It's all a matter of perspective, right?"

Angus chuckled. Then his eyebrows rose. "Oh, hey, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Sure. What's up?"

He pulled out his notebook, tore out half a page and handed it to her.

"I'm working a new case," he explained. "Nothing I can talk about, yet, but if you happen to hear anything about a noted thief in town, or a serious fence, could you let me know?"

"Real hush-hush, huh?" she drawled, taking the scrap of paper from him.

"Sorry," Angus said sincerely. "Client privilege."

"It's cool. I get it." Silvia stuck it in her pocket. "I'll keep an ear to the ground."

"Thanks, lieutenant. Really."

"No problem." Silvia leaned around to look past him. "Who's your friend?"

 _Uh oh_.

Taako shoved Angus to the side as he stepped forward. "Hail and well met and stuff," he said, tipping his hat and grinning his Cheshire cat grin. "Name's Taako. What's your handle, maydl?"

Silvia's eyes widened as she glanced briefly at Angus. "So you're Taako, huh?"

"That's what it says on the merch! Why?" Taako leaned in conspiratorially. "Has Agnes been telling stories? Because I can guarantee at least half of them are true. Which half is up to you!"

She laughed, and extended her hand. "Lieutenant Silvia Hayden, Neverwinter militia. Nice to finally meet you, Taako."

Taako shook her hand firmly. He cocked an eyebrow. "You moisturize?"

"Got to, in this climate."

He nodded approvingly. "Nice."

Angus cleared his throat. "We're, uh, actually in a hurry, so—"

"News to me, my dude!" said Taako. Then he turned back to Silvia. "Why don't we do lunch? Boy's rail thin, needs to put on some ell-bees."

Angus sputtered. Silvia grinned, but shook her head.

"Can't," she said apologetically. "Got some legwork of my own to do. Angus isn't the only one who has to work for a living."

"Yeah, speaking of—"

"How about dinner then? His place." Taako leaned forward. "I make a mean risotto!"

"We should really get going—"

"Sounds great," Silvia said, barely restraining a laugh as she glanced between the two of them. "But I've got a thing. Rain check?"

"Sure, sure! Anytime's cool for us!" Taako said cheerily, elbowing Angus in the ribs. "Ain't that right, Angarang?"

Angus got between them and started to push Taako away. "Sorry, really gotta go! Talk to you later, lieutenant!"

"Give us a buzz!" Taako shouted over Angus' shoulder.

The moment they were through the crowd and out of the market, Taako burst into laughter.

"That wasn't funny!" Angus said, stamping his foot like he was eleven years old again.

"Au contraire, mon frere!" Taako managed to gasp. "That was fantastic!"

Angus moaned and rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses while Taako steadied himself on his shoulder.

"Oh, kiddo," he sighed. "What a gift."

"To whom?"

"Me, mostly," Taako said honestly. "But don't worry, we'll get you that date yet."

Angus took off his cap and hit Taako over the head with it, which only made him laugh harder. "She is a friend and colleague!"

"Oh, don't play dumb!" he retorted, grinning wickedly. "She's your fucking crush, dipshit!"

Angus continued to hit Taako with his cap as the elf cackled maniacally. The final blow knocked his hat off. With a harrumph, Angus slammed his cap back on his head and stomped off down the street. He heard Taako follow close behind, still giggling, and the telltale sound of his umbrella wooshing through the air as he swung it idly.

In all honesty, that had gone about as well as he'd expected it to.


	6. Day Trip

Taako was a real asshole sometimes. (Okay, most times.) It was a part of his personality he had no intention of ever fully excising. You go for the goof, you commit to the bit, and if some people can't take a joke, that's their problem. He knew Angus was fully aware of this, so Taako wasn't bothered when he didn't speak to him for the next few blocks. He simply twirled his umbrella and followed along quietly to wherever it was they were going.

He didn't have to be a detective to figure it out; the southern edge of Neverwinter butted up against the World's Teeth, the mountains separating the northern and southern halves of Faerun. They were heading towards those mountains along the main thoroughfare, and when the train station came into view, Angus turned to him and smiled.

"Feel like a day trip to Rockport?" he asked.

Taako shouldered his umbrella and grinned. "Why not?"

Getting tickets seemed easier these days — there were two larger trains on parallel tracks, and they operated in sync with each other. By the time they finished paying and stepped out onto the platform, the Rockport Limited was pulling into the station. Angus was a little disappointed ("I hoped you'd get to see the Neverwinter Express, it's totally different.") but Taako was happy to bask in the nostalgia of one of his more memorable escapades.

The train itself was new, since the Reclaimers had trashed the last one pretty thoroughly, but it was largely the same. Fancy gilded exterior, very ornate, with lots of gold and bronze, and an equally plush interior, full of wood and silk and velvet. The train had been Rockport's baby, Angus explained — they'd been the ones to spearhead the tunneling operation, and it was the sole thing they could lord over Neverwinter — so they'd spared no expense in its reconstruction. The only difference Taako noticed was the lack of the empty archway in the dining car. Guess after Jenkins killed someone with it, they reconsidered the whole port-wand pleasure-room thing.

Their conductor was a friendly halfling, cheerful and pleasant and totally boring. No fun goofs to be had at his expense. Angus must have noticed Taako pouting after the halfling led them to their table in the dining car, because he snorted under his breath.

"Sorry you don't get to be mercilessly cruel to someone this trip," he said after the conductor was out of earshot.

"Just nostalgic, is all," Taako said, glancing out the window as the train began to move. "'Sides, not like Jenkins didn't have it coming."

"You didn't know that at the time."

"I had a hunch." Taako tapped his temple. "Elven intuition. You wouldn't understand, being human and all."

Angus smirked. "Uh-huh."

"You wanna play keep away with your notebook for old time's sake?"

"No, I'm good."

As their waiter approached with two full trays of goodies in his hands, Taako nearly did a double-take; he was an absolutely gorgeous dark elf, broad shouldered and built like a house with luscious Fabio-esque hair. He smiled and offered them their choice. Angus took a muffin and coffee, plus a newspaper. Taako took a blueberry scone and a cup of tea. The waiter poured his tea, smiled again, and then took the two trays and headed down the car to another occupied table at the far end. Taako leaned out and watched him walk away. When he settled back into his seat, Angus was shaking his head.

"What? I'm married, I'm not dead."

"Gross, sir."

"Do I have to bring up how you were looking at Silvia? Oh, I'm sorry." He leaned forward. "Lieutenant?"

Angus' grin disappeared and he turned his attention to the newspaper. Taako grinned and took a bite of his scone.

"Y'know," he said with his mouth full, "that sorta dom-sub stuff ain't really my bag, but you chase your bliss, Ango."

"I'm not listening," Angus said in a sing-song voice.

"Right. I'll leave you to your paper. I won't say another word about Silvia." Taako leaned in an stage-whispered, "Miss Hayden, if you're nasty."

Angus rolled up his newspaper and smacked Taako upside the head with it. He started laughing again, and Angus blew out the exasperated sigh he used when he wanted to stifle his own laughter.

The journey was thoroughly uneventful. After they'd taken lunch (and Taako had asked the waiter to bring him a hot towel just to watch him leave a couple more times) they'd retired to the sleeper car. Taako had dozed lazily while Angus read the paper, then they'd played a game of cards where they both cheated mercilessly, and after a few hours, they pulled into Rockport.

Last time, Taako had killed a weird crab monster, stolen a bunch of shit he shouldn't have, thrown a serial killer off the back of a runaway train (well, that was Magnus, but he'd been present for it) and then saved hundreds of people by teleporting said train into said serial killer's private garden. It was wicked awesome.

This trip was pretty good too, though.

* * *

 

Rockport was a fishing and farming town, largely, and that much hadn't changed; it still smelled like fish when the wind blew from the west, and like flowers when it blew from the east. The ticket seller at this end was still the spitting image of Tom Bodett, though a fair bit older than when Taako saw him last. He probably recognized Taako, too, considering how he turned on his heel and walked away the moment he saw him.

It wasn't nearly the size of Neverwinter, but Rockport still qualified as a bona fide city — there were wagons traveling up and down the white cobblestone roads, many pulling cargo trailers full of crates. Stalls and small markets were set up all along the main road from the train station toward the city center, hawking everything Rockport was famous for, which was mostly beef pasties, fish and chips, or bouquets of lupines. Not so many souvenirs of the Rockport Limited anymore, Taako noted. Made sense; if Neverwinter had built their own, it couldn't be that special.

Angus led them off the main road into a narrower side street. Taako narrowly avoided a puddle as he stepped alongside Angus.

"So who are we visiting in Rockport?" he asked.

"There's an artist here," Angus explained, adjusting his glasses as he walked. "He's sort of a historian. Rocco, the owner of that curio shop? They introduced us."

"And this artiste will know... what?"

"Well, the curator gave me the broad strokes—"

"Nice."

Angus rolled his eyes. "—but after talking with Rocco, I'm sure this wasn't about the money. I want to learn more about this painting, and about who painted it."

"What's it even a picture of?" Taako asked, realizing he didn't know the first thing about what they were doing.

"It's a flock of birds flying above the Sword Coast. They say it's the pinnacle of the proto-naturalist movement in the art world."

"'They' being stuffy old professors and ultra-nerds."

Angus opened his mouth, then closed it and shrugged. "Yeah, basically."

"And it's worth a lot?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Shyeah!"

"How much?"

"A lot."

"We talkin' six digits? Seven?"

Angus hesitated, like he didn't want to say it out loud. "More like eight or nine."

Taako stumbled a bit and caught himself with his umbrella. "Pumpkin?"

"Yes, sir?"

"That's a lot."

"Yes, sir."

While Taako's mind reeled at the amount given (and idly fantasized about how he'd waste it) he followed Angus down the road a few more blocks to a shabbier, dingier part of Rockport. A place where the roads had a few more potholes, the wagons were fewer and farther between, and if anyone bothered to clean the streets, they did it a lot less frequently. Not quite a slum — Taako knew slums — but certainly less well-to-do than anywhere they'd been today. Hell, he was pretty sure that shady curio shop was in a better neighborhood.

Angus stopped in front of a four-story apartment building. There were no wagons on the road, no one walking the streets. Taako suddenly felt very alone, isolated, like there was no one but him and Angus on the whole block.

"Your fancypants art historian lives here?" he asked, glancing around.

"Yep." Angus started up the stone steps. "I think he got caught up in some scandal, years ago. Kicked out of the university."

"No shit."

"Pretty sure he helps Rocco forge the occasional painting," Angus said idly, opening the door. "Or at least do some clean-up work if they're damaged. Fetches a better price that way."

The place was empty, no one in sight. There was a small foyer with doors on either side, a short hallway leading deeper into the building, and a stairway leading up. Angus led the way upstairs. Taako kept glancing around. He heard the occasional signs of life, but they all seemed distant. Nothing sounded close by. It made him nervous. Brought back memories of his time on the lam, after Glamour Springs, when it seemed like even silence and solitude were out to get him.

They walked up four more flights of stairs, and Taako was about to start complaining about it when Angus stepped in front of a door at the top.

"This guy might be a bit... nervy," Angus said diplomatically. "Try to go easy on him, okay? I really need his help."

Taako straightened his back, crossed his heart, and held up two fingers.

Angus stared at him for a moment, then shrugged and knocked on the door.

It slowly swung open.

Angus' eyes widened. He looked at Taako. Taako looked at him, then gestured at the door. Angus held his hands up like _how should I know?_

With a gentle push, Angus opened the door. "Uh, Mr. Wendell? Sir?"

The apartment was a mess. It was hard for Taako to tell how much of it was always like that. There were paintings propped up along every wall, four or five deep in some places, and paint cans and palettes strewn everywhere. Drop cloths lay in a haphazard pattern on the floor, though paint had still spattered onto some exposed hardwood. A number of easels, one folded up and tipped onto its side, lined the near wall, opposite the windows. There were old takeout boxes on the small kitchen counter to the left, dirty plates on a tiny table to the right, and in the corner, a large trash bag filled with what looked like stale popcorn. It really made Taako feel a lot better about the state of his own home.

Angus walked in, examining the place intensely. Taako took the time to check himself out in a stand-up mirror on the far wall. As he stepped towards it, his nose wrinkled.

"You smell that?" he asked, sniffing the air.

Angus didn't answer. Taako sniffed again. It smelled like something burning. Or... not burning. Charring? Like meat seared too long.

"Taako."

He turned around. Angus was staring at a space beyond the kitchen counter. Taako stepped closer and followed his gaze. An old human man, bald with a grey beard and spots on his forehead, lay face down on the floor. A pool of red surrounded his head.

_Oh, good._

"That's not paint, is it."

Angus reached into his jacket and drew his wand. A new one, Taako noticed — fine grained wood, with a longer handle built for a duelist's grip. Nice.

_Wait._ He sniffed again. _Is it wood? Charcoal? Or... is it even a smell?_

Taako looked down. Something wasn't right. He was definitely picking up something, and if it wasn't a smell... he reached up, tapped his temple, and cast True Sight.

The ring appeared immediately, a series of invisible, glowing runes stretching from the door to the far wall and back again. Like a summoning circle, or a—

Angus stepped forward, towards the body. Taako's eyes widened as Angus stepped onto the runes.

"Don't!"

Too late. Taako threw himself forward, tackled Angus to the floor next to the corpse, and popped his umbrella. The space behind him flashed and flared as the air itself caught fire. There was a sudden breeze, like an inhale, as the oxygen in the room fed the blaze.

Taako rolled over. His boots were on fire. He kicked at the flames angrily — he loved those fucking boots, god damn it — before Angus cast a light ice spell over them. The boy pushed himself to his feet, eyes wide and hand up to shield them from the waves of heat.

That incantation must have been some serious shit, because the fire wasn't going out. It was getting bigger, growing hotter with every passing second. The drop cloths were already ash, the hardwood floor was charring to black, flames were licking up the walls and flowing across the ceiling, and everything in the apartment that was combustible (which was everything) was catching fast.

Taako held up his umbrella and fired a Ray of Frost at the inferno. It did about as much as good as spitting into it. He swung it from side to side and tried Ice Storm. It melted before it even fully formed.

"We gotta go!" Angus shouted, glancing around. "Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go—"

"Go where?!" Taako shouted back, waving his hand towards the fiery expanse between them and the door.

Angus didn't answer. He had already found their exit. He ran past the kitchen counter, stumbled over an empty paint can, and made it to a window. He tried to open it, straining against the jam, then looked down.

"It's painted shut!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Taako cursed, shoving him aside. He raised his umbrella and fired a spell which blew out the window and most of the wall with it. He turned to Angus and grabbed his hand, and he didn't have to say a word — they both jumped.

Taako popped his umbrella again, and the Featherfall enchantment kicked in immediately. He and Angus floated gently to the ground. The air cleared and the heat faded as they fell, but Taako could still feel it like a forest fire at his back.

As soon as they touched down, Angus turned around and looked up. The fire was spreading fast, already licking past the top of the hole Taako had created.

"Is anyone else in there?" he asked.

"Nah, don't think so," Taako said, shaking his head. Then he looked at Angus, who was starting for the steps. "If you think you're going back in there—"

Angus spun on his heel. "We can't just leave!"

"So call the fucking fire brigade, dingus!" Taako yelled, throwing his arms up.

Angus clenched his jaw. He held his wand straight up and, with a fairly intense use of Prestidigitation, fired a bright, screaming flare high into the sky. Taako stared up at the fire, at the holes it was burning into the roof, at the pillar of heavy black smoke rising into the sky, and scowled.

It had been such a nice day, too.


	7. Old Acquaintance (Be Forgot)

There was a part of Taako, still, that was dedicated to his self-preservation. Old habits being hard to break, it acted up from time to time. Right now, it said that he should never have come here, that he should have stayed back home and been content with dull days and duller nights waiting for Kravitz rather than put himself in the middle of some shit that wasn't even his business.

The rest of Taako told that part to sit down and shut the fuck up. That was then, this was now. He still wasn't sure exactly when or how it had happened, but it didn't matter — he was here for Angus, and that was that.

That didn't mean he wasn't cheesed as all hell.

"What the hell was that?!"

Angus sat on the edge of the bed with his elbows on his knees, frowning at the hardwood floor. After they'd done what they could to help the fire brigade (which wasn't much) and given detailed statements to the Rockport militia, it had gotten late enough that the trains had stopped running. They were stuck in town, so they picked up a pair of rooms at one of the nicer inns to collect themselves.

"I don't know," he said, staring intently at nothing. "I can't figure it out."

"Well, I'll help you out, boy detective!" Taako said, pacing angrily by the window. "We nearly got roasted, is what!"

"But why?" Angus asked, still not looking at him. "Why kill Mr. Wendell? And why set a booby trap? If they wanted to destroy evidence, why not do it when they killed him? It doesn't make—"

"Stop getting hung up on the why!" Taako shouted, stomping in front of him with his hands on his hips. "Start thinking about the how! That was a seventh-level spell, homie! That shit don't grow on trees! Someone wanted us dead in a major way!"

Angus's brow rose. He straightened up and looked at Taako, somewhat startled. "You're right."

"'Course I'm right," Taako said, crossing his arms. He turned to pace back to the window. "Now let's go home."

There was a brief, confused pause. "What?"

"Home, boychik," Taako said, turning around. "That's what we're talking about, isn't it? Let's grab our ghoulies and get gone."

"I can't do that."

"Give me one good reason why."

Angus looked at him like he was crazy. "Taako, this is my job."

"It's a stupid picture of some birds, Angus!" Taako said, throwing his arms in the air. "It's not worth—" — _you_. "—all this!"

With a gentle sigh, Angus propped his elbows back on his knees. "I'm sorry I got you into this, sir. It's not your problem. You don't have to stay if you don't—"

"Oh, don't you fucking dare pull that line on me, kiddo," Taako said slowly, taking a step forward and leaning down to glare at Angus. "That's some Burnsides-brand horseshit, and it will never, ever work. Believe that."

They stared at each other. By degrees, Angus lowered his head, but not his gaze. "I'm not leaving, sir."

"Well, then neither am I!" Taako shouted quickly, before that little part of himself could gain a foothold. He straightened and crossed his arms. "And that's that!"

For a long moment, Angus regarded Taako from behind his glasses — _when did he get so unflappable? where did that come from?_ — then, with a little huff, he smiled and looked down at the floor again.

"Thank you, sir."

Taako scoffed and resumed his pacing, somewhat less angry than before.

"You were right, though," Angus said. "I get too hung up on the why. That spell, you sound familiar with it."

Taako shrugged. "S'not that complicated."

"Describe it. How's it work, exactly?"

"It's a delayed conflagration spell," he said clinically, briefly allowing his ego to take pleasure in playing the expert. "You make a circle, and when something breaks the circle, the spell goes off. Catches the air above it on fire. Set it and forget it."

"So why didn't it go off when we entered the room?"

Taako furrowed his brow, shook his head. He was no detective, this wasn't his bag. How was he supposed to know why—

_Oh._

"It only went off—"

"—when we left the circle," Angus said with an emphatic nod. "You saved me."

Again, Taako let his ego absorb that praise with gusto. He brushed his nails against his shirt. "I guess I did, huh?"

"How'd you know it was there?"

"Thought I smelled something, like charcoal. But it wasn't quite a smell, y'know?" Taako reached up and tapped his temple. "I cast True Sight, and then I saw it."

"Yeah, I remember smelling something burning..." Angus stroked his chin thoughtfully with thumb and forefinger. "But I only smelled it after we came in."

"Could be entering the circle primed the spell, and leaving it was the trigger."

Angus looked up, startled once again.

"What?" Taako asked with a gentle smirk. "I'm not just a pretty face."

"Is that typical of that spell?"

Now, that Taako had to think about. He looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "Not... really? I've never heard of it acting that way. But I mean, it makes sense, right?"

"Absolutely," Angus said, smiling again as he looked down at the floor. "So that's the how."

"Come again?"

"You said it yourself," Angus explained, clasping his hands together. "Seventh-level spells don't grow on trees. There can't be that many wizards in Rockport or Neverwinter who know how to cast that. Furthermore, the spell behaved atypically, which means it was modified. I'm no expert myself, but I know it takes a lot more effort to modify a spell than it does to cast the original. That narrows the pool even further."

"So we're not looking for a badass wizard, we're looking for an ultra-badass super-wizard," Taako said flatly. "Cool. Cool cool cool."

"And once we find the who, that'll lead us straight to the why." Angus stood from the bed and rested his hands on his hips with a grin. "We're one step closer to solving this mystery!"

"Joy of joys," Taako said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"C'mon, sir," Angus said, walking over and wrapping an arm around Taako's shoulders. "You have to admit, it's kind of fun."

"Oh, pumpkin," Taako sighed, putting his hand over Angus'. "Your idea of fun has never made a lick of sense to me."

* * *

 

Taako didn't need much sleep, being an elf, but he barely even tried that night. Too much adrenaline, too much nervous energy. It was pointless. So he tried his hand at meditating, a skill he'd been universally bad at for his entire life, and when that failed he pulled out his recipe book and poked at his notes on the sequel to sandwiches until Angus knocked on his door.

"I know where we need to go next!" he said as soon as Taako opened the door.

"And where's that, Agnes?" Taako asked with a sigh.

"There's someone in Rockport I know who can help us narrow our search. You know him too, actually."

Taako raised an eyebrow — did he know anyone in Rockport? — then quickly realized he didn't care. He shrugged and gathered up his purse and umbrella. "Alright, lead on, kemosabe."

The house was a reasonable walk from their inn, closer to the farmlands on the eastern edge of town. And it was definitely a house; there were no manors or apartments out here. A wide, one-and-a-half story home with a full flower bed, cheap pink flamingos on the lawn, a bunch of corny pinwheels in various designs, and a set of small railroad tracks circling the entire lawn. There was a mailbox with a tiny wooden man in a blue uniform on top. The name on the side said _Percival._

Angus walked up and knocked on the door. Taako surveyed the scene around them with a grimace.

"This guy is gonna help us find a super-wizard?" he asked.

"He's the only person I know who really keeps up with the magic scene in Rockport."

Taako reached over and poked one of the flamingos on the nose. It rocked back and forth on one springy leg. "That's a little disappointing, kiddo, gotta say."

"Yeah, well," Angus sighed. "Like I said, I don't meet a lot of people outside of work."

The door opened. On the other side was a round human man with a great big bushy beard flecked with graying hairs. He looked to be in his forties, with big eyes, a large forehead, and some of the worst fashion sense Taako had ever seen. Seriously, the poor bastard look like he'd been thrown in a thrift store dumpster and rolled down a hill. It was almost upsetting to look at.

He looked between Taako and Angus curiously for a moment before he recognized them. Then he grabbed Angus' hand with both of his and shook it. "Oh my gosh, Angus McDonald! Holy crow, how long has it been?"

"A couple years, Percy," Angus said with a smile.

"Wow, yeah, it has been, huh?" said Percy, still shaking his hand. "You were looking for some fortune teller last time, right? Did you ever find her?"

"I did, actually."

Percy grinned. "Great! Super glad I could help!"

"You can let go of my hand now, Percy."

"Oh!" He dropped it immediately. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Angus gestured over his shoulder. "You remember Taako, too, right?"

Taako peered hard at Percy, stroking his chin. When he met his gaze, Percy smiled and extended a hand.

"Oh yeah, I sure do! Not a day I'll ever forget, right?"

Taako pursed his lips and tapped them thoughtfully with a finger. Then he shook his head. "Sorry. No idea."

"N-no?" Percy asked, a little sadly. Then he perked right up again. "Oh! I know! You'd remember my train name! It was Graham!"

Taako stared at him. Then, feigning recognition, he lied. "Oh, yes! Of course! Now I remember!"

Percy-Graham shook Taako's hand with both of his, then stepped inside. "Hey, c'mon in! I was just going to put on some tea! You like tea?"

"Sure, Percy," Angus said. "We won't be staying long, though, okay?"

"Of course! Of course!" Percy waved dismissively over his shoulder, shuffling off to the kitchen. "You're a busy young man, I know!"

Taako leaned over to Angus. "Who's this guy again?"

"Graham." Angus said. When that had no impact, he furrowed his brow at Taako. "From the Rockport Limited. One of the passengers that day?"

Taako stared at him.

Angus rolled his eyes and mumbled, "The juicy wizard."

"Ohhhh! That guy!" Taako laughed quietly. "Jeez, why didn't you say so?"

Juicy emerged from his kitchen with a platter full of tea, cups, and some of those little wafer cookies that tasted like cardboard and paper. He led them into the sitting room, and Taako had to fight not to sneer at the decor.

It was nothing but trains. Books about trains, souvenirs of trains, big metal gizmos which he could only assume were once parts of trains. There were model trains in various states of disassembly, along with sections of scale track against one wall. Newspaper articles about the trains were framed on the wall alongside paintings of trains. Very occasionally, Taako spotted something wizardly — a wand, a staff, a handful of spellbooks on an otherwise empty shelf — but it was vastly outnumbered by all the train shit.

"How's the Rockport Locomotive Society doing?" Angus asked politely, sitting down on the couch next to a pillow embroidered with little trains.

"Oh, great! Wonderful, even!" Juicy said, pouring them each some tea. "We're getting new members all the time! At last count, it was over a hundred!"

"People?" Taako asked in disbelief. Angus elbowed him.

Juice shrugged. "Well, I mean, not everyone comes to the meetings. And not everyone pays their dues on time... but the roster has over a hundred people on it! Sugar?"

Angus held up a hand. Taako waved him on until he'd put seven cubes in. He sipped at it gingerly, pinkie extended as his auntie had taught him, and very grudgingly admitted that Juice made a mean cup of Darjeeling.

"So!" Juice leaned back in his easy chair, one of the few things without a train on it in the whole house. "What can I help you with, Mr. McDonald?"

"I'll cut to the chase," Angus said, resting his saucer in his lap. "We're looking for someone. A wizard, or sorcerer. All we have to go on is their level of expertise."

"Well, there's not too many expert magicians in Rockport! And I know most of them through the Society," Juicy said. "What's the clue?"

"A seventh-level spell. Evocation magic. Altered to have unique properties."

Juicy nodded thoughtfully, lips pursed in thought. "Altered, you say?"

Angus nodded. Taako crossed his legs and noticed that the rug's pattern was nothing but tiny train tracks.

After a minute of careful thought, Juicy shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry, son, I got no idea who that could be. There's very few people in Rockport who can cast seventh-level, and none of them specialize in Evocation."

"What about Neverwinter?" Angus asked.

"Neverwinter, huh?" Juice leaned forward and set down his saucer and cup. "That's a much bigger kettle of fish."

"Not what that means," Taako mumbled. Angus elbowed him again as Juice stroked a hand through his beard.

"There's a few I can think of," he said. "I don't know 'em except by reputation, though."

"That's okay, Percy," Angus said, pulling out his pen and notebook. "Anything you can tell us would be helpful."

Juicy started counting off fingers while Angus took notes. "Well, there's old man Dietrich. He runs a potion shop in the merchant quarter. Heard he can cast eighth-level. More of a Transmutation guy, though. There's Penelope, she's a stage performer, dabbles in Evocation and Illusion. But she's on tour, I think. And there's Holly! She's a retired adventurer, got a big place up in the noble quarter. Getting up there in years. And, well. There's the obvious."

"Obvious?" Taako asked.

Juicy nodded. "Lady Blisk."

Angus stared at Juice for a moment. Then his eyes widened and he slumped back in his seat. He looked both surprised and a little frustrated.

Taako furrowed his brow. "Sorry, some of us don't read _Fantasy Us Weekly_. Who's that?"

The boy ran a hand through his hair, and when he looked at Taako, he grimaced.

"Katarina Iphigenia Fedosia Blisk," he recited. "Lord High Steward and Archmage of Neverwinter."


	8. Interlude II: Self-Care

It was a cool and windy night down in the Dales. They'd set camp just off the road, by the edge of a forest; decent protection from the wind, and easy access to firewood. Clouds had gathered in the sky, leaving them without even moonlight to read by. This didn't stop Taako, of course — he conjured up a bonfire big enough to light the whole campsite solely so he could poke at a new cookbook he'd picked up in Armos.

Kravitz and Angus were sitting on little folding chairs to his right. They were playing red hands; so far, Kravitz was losing, albeit very gracefully. (Taako made a mental note to make fun of him for it later.) He glanced over every once in a while, and the image was so absolutely stomach-sickeningly sweet it made him want to throw up.

"Oh, come on!" Kravitz laughed as he lost for the fourth time in a row. "How'd you get this fast?"

"Must come natural, sir," Angus said with a grin. "Carey always said I was quick."

"In more ways than one, apparently," he said, rubbing his hands. "My turn, yes?"

Taako was about to go back to his book and resume his critique of a recipe for a creamed corn casserole when a noise came from the woods, distant and muffled. His ears twitched, and he sat up from where he was reclining on the grass. Kravitz and Angus hadn't noticed. Taako peered into the woods, straining his darkvision.

Nothing. _Probably just the wind or something._

As he looked back down at his book, he heard it again — louder, and closer, and very much not the wind. Taako glanced over at Kravitz, who had turned around in his chair.

"You hear that?" Taako asked.

"Yes."

Kravitz stood up. Taako followed suit and stepped beside him. Neither of them took their eyes off the forest.

"You know what it is, right?"

Kravitz nodded. "Mhm."

Angus approached them nervously. "Sirs? What's going on?"

Taako looked down and rubbed Angus' head a little too rough. "Nothing important, bub. Just gerblins."

The boy's eyes widened. "Gerblins?"

"Yep. Like I said, nothin' to worry about. Cha'boy'll take care of it."

Taako turned to head back to the wagon and get his staff, but Kravitz stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"No need, dear," he said casually. "I'll handle it."

With a shrug, Taako turned back. "Suit yourself, bone dogg."

Kravitz unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves as he walked into the woods. _Woof._ Taako fanned himself and filed that image away for later appreciation.

"Don't forget the loot!" Taako called after him.

The reaper waved over his shoulder, and stepped out of view.

Taako turned to Angus and clapped his hands together. "Alright! Let's kill some time while Krav kills some gerblins. You been practicing your spells, Ango?"

* * *

 

They sat crosslegged in the grass by the fire, and Taako delivered an impromptu magic lesson. Angus was getting better all the time; he had a firm grasp of most level two spells, and had mastered all the cantrips Taako knew. At this point, he was reluctant to teach the boy anything more powerful until he was older — thirteen, probably. Not that he doubted his ability at all. It was more a matter of not wanting the wagons to catch fire.

Every once in a while, they'd hear an indistinct noise from the woods. Angus would glance over, and Taako would have to snap his fingers to bring him to attention again. At one point, a bright flare of orange was visible between the trees, followed by a single frightened gerblin shriek, almost drowned out by the wind in the trees. Then, nothing.

After about twenty minutes, Kravitz glided out of the forest. His spectral cloak, blacker than the moonless night, slowly sloughed away, revealing his preferred dark suit. His hood fell back from his head, disappearing into vaporous tendrils of black, and his skull and bones became dark skin and handsome features.

Taako stood up and brushed his pants off. "Did you remember the loot?"

Kravitz finished buttoning his cuffs and then pulled a small, ratty coin pouch from his belt.

"A couple hundred in all," he said, tossing the bag to Taako. "Plus some gold teeth."

"A whole week's worth of touring supplies," Taako said triumphantly. He shook the bag by his ear, and it jingled pleasantly. It was the little things, sometimes. "That's whatcha call a windfall."

"I'm fine, by the way."

"Oh, fuck off," Taako said lightly. "What were they gonna do, kill you again?"

Kravitz chuckled. Then he turned to Angus. "You weren't worried, were you?"

"No," Angus said. Then looked away and adjusted his glasses. "Well. A little. I know it's silly."

"Extremely," Taako said, tossing the bag from hand to hand. Kravitz, however, took a knee and rested a hand on Angus' shoulder.

"The sentiment is very much appreciated, Angus," he said seriously. "It's nice to know someone cares."

Taako rolled his eyes and groaned. "God. So needy."

"Lots of people care about you, sir," Angus said, equally seriously. "Some of them are just bad at showing it, sometimes."

"He's already dead!"

"I know, Angus," Kravitz sighed dramatically. "Some people are just emotionally stunted. It's sad, really."

"Okay, you know what? Screw you guys." Taako turned and marched off to the wagon. "I'm going to read in the wagon. That's a judgment-free zone!"

He heard them laughing as he walked away, and was thankful they couldn't see him fighting to stifle the grin on his face. For better or worse (likely worse) Taako was rubbing off on the two of them.

* * *

 

The next morning, Taako woke up first. Light filtered in from the windows beside the bed and above the little sink. He blinked blearily, propped himself up on his elbows, and yawned. He looked at Kravitz, still asleep by his side, and felt an almost uncomfortable surge of affection.

There was a part of him still not used to waking up next to the same person day in and day out. Hell, even knowing someone for this long hadn't happened in a long time. As arrogant and vain as Taako could be, he had enough self-awareness to be amazed that anyone would willingly spend so much time with him. He tried not to think about it much; it gave him butterflies in his stomach.

Taako leaned over and nipped at Kravitz's jaw, below the ear. This, he was much more comfortable with.

Kravitz breathed deeply and wrapped his arms around him. Taako shuddered, only partially from the chill of his skin.

"Mornin', rabbit," he mumbled against his neck.

"Morning," Kravitz murmured. "What time is it?"

"Early." Taako nipped again. "Dawn-ish."

"Breakfast?"

And again. "Don't mind if I do."

Kravitz chuckled. He ran a hand through Taako's hair and pulled him into a kiss.

_Thwick. Thud._

Taako pulled away immediately and looked out the window to his left, then his right. He didn't see anything. Did he imagine it? No, definitely not. Blinking hard and scrubbing a hand across his face, he grumbled and pushed himself out of bed.

Kravitz sat up, shaking his head. "Stray gerblins?"

"Maybe," Taako said, between throwing on pants and a thin cotton shirt.

"Do you want me to—"

"Nah, I got it."

He looked back at Kravitz — shirtless, half in bed, hair a mess — and was suddenly very, very angry at the whole existence of gerblins.

"Won't be long," Taako said with a smirk and a wink. "Don't go anywhere, babe."

Kravitz snorted quietly and fell back into bed. Taako picked up his umbrella, opened the door, and prepared to give the little shits a piece of his mind.

The morning was cool and misty, and the grass dewy beneath his bare feet. He looked around, stepping towards the ashen fire pit. No gerblins that he could see or hear. No sign that anything was wrong at all.

Then, off behind the second wagon, he heard it clear as day — an arrow striking wood.

Taako stalked towards it, unafraid (like a gerblin was going to give him palpitations after the shit he'd been through) but as he rounded the wagon, he only saw Angus, hands at his sides, staring at the woods. Taako opened his mouth to speak, but Angus moved first.

In one smooth motion, the boy threw his arm up, drew back his sleeve, and flexed his fist. The tiny wrist-mounted crossbow fired, a quiet _thwick_ sound followed by the louder _thud_ of the bolt into a tree thirty feet away. It struck cleanly next to several other bolts, grouped neatly together around a wooden knot in the bark. Angus reloaded quickly, pulling another bolt from a small pouch on his hip, cocking it in the crossbow, sighting, and firing again. It struck just as cleanly, inches away from the last.

As the boy lowered his arm, he blew out a quiet breath and adjusted his glasses. Then he started to move towards the tree to retrieve the bolts.

"Angus."

The boy jumped and spun. He exhaled and rubbed at his chest. "Sir. You scared me."

"Feeling's mutual," he replied, leaning on the wagon wheel. "What's with the bow, homie?"

"Nothing," Angus said, looking down at his wrist. "Just realized it's been a long time since I practiced. That's all."

Taako made a face. "So you got up at the crack of dawn to practice shooting arrows."

"Bolts," Angus corrected, before grimacing apologetically. "I didn't mean to wake you, sir. I'm sorry."

"You didn't wake me." Taako glanced down the road. "Got me all amped up, though."

"Sorry."

Taako considered the boy and cocked an eyebrow. "You still know how to use that thing?"

"Of course," Angus said, holding up his wrist. "I've had it since it was nine. It was a gift from my grandpa, actually. He taught me how to use it."

"No shit."

Angus smiled a little. "No shit, sir."

Taako hummed, amused. He crossed his arms and shifted to sit on the wheel. "I actually forgot you had it. Really has been a while."

The boy nodded, hands clasped in front of him. He looked like he was waiting for permission. Taako sneered. Always so proper, so polite. He'd almost prefer the kid were a little hellion like he and Lup had been, back in the day. At least then they could relate to each other.

Taako shrugged and pushed off the wheel. "Alright, well, you can practice until breakfast is ready."

"Okay. Thanks."

"But don't shoot your eye out, kid," he warned, pointing at him. "Or I'll be pissed."

Angus grinned. "I won't, sir."

Taako walked away while Angus was pulling the bolts free from the tree, using Mage Hand for some extra oomph. By the time he got back, Kravitz was coming out of the wagon, depressingly clothed.

"Everything alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah, it's cool." Taako gestured dismissively. "Just Agnes doing some self-care, or whatever."

"Is he okay?"

Taako glanced over his shoulder. 'Okay' was a relative term for most people he knew, but Angus seemed fairly well-adjusted. He'd been relying on Taako and Kravitz a lot since they'd been on the road, though. Probably got spooked by last night, wanted to feel a little less helpless. Taako could understand that; he'd lived in that headspace for years. If this was what the boy needed to feel better, what else mattered?

_Hell, kid's more likely to hurt himself with a fuckin' paring knife._

"He's fine, Krav," he said, facing Kravitz again. "Just fine."

Kravitz nodded. Then he leaned in and asked, "Breakfast, then?"

Taako's eyebrows rose. A slow grin spread across his face. "I mean, if you're offering."

He stepped aside and gestured back towards the wagon. "It's still early, isn't it?"

"That it is, babe," Taako said, sashaying past him. "That it is."


	9. Process of Elimination

Angus wasn't great company on the way back to Neverwinter. He was fully aware of that, but he couldn't help it. His mind was a whirling dervish of conflicting thoughts and theories and potentialities, none of which he felt were worth verbalizing yet.

If what Percy said was true, there were very few people in Neverwinter or Rockport who could have cast that spell. Ignoring the very real possibilities that it was someone from outside the region, that Percy might not have up-to-date information, that the person who cast the spell might not actually be Mr. Wendell's murderer... no, that left him with far too many factors to consider. Focus on what you know, use what you can. Do the work and you solve the puzzle. Simple.

_Yeah. Simple. That's what a mystery always is, right?_

When he'd spoken to the curator, he'd asked about the Museum, about its security, about her work there, about her employees, about any bad history they had or recent suspicious behavior. He'd asked about the painting itself, as well, but when she'd only known the broad history of it, Angus hadn't given it any more thought. He'd assumed the item itself was of little importance.

Apparently, someone else had thought otherwise. Mr. Wendell was dead because of it.

Angus needed more information, and he needed it yesterday.

* * *

 

He and Taako had split up after they arrived in Neverwinter. Angus told him he had to pay a visit to the library, and rather than bore himself to death, Taako could sightsee or head back to his apartment. Thankfully, Taako was amenable to this arrangement. Angus gave him his key, and they went their separate ways.

There was enough daylight left to make a few stops before he made for the University library, near the center of the city. Angus knew enough of Neverwinter's winding streets to plot out a route in his head.

First came the potion seller, Mr. Dietrich. He was a bit taciturn, but after Angus threw down the gold to buy something, he'd started talking. He had no idea about the painting, no business at the Museum, knew almost no Evocation magic, and had been spending every night for the past week taking a sculpting class at the studio down the block. That alibi was so easy to check, Angus figured it had to be airtight. He checked it anyway, and it was.

Next was the performer, or rather, her agent. The firm representing her sat equidistant between the merchant and noble quarters. Penelope Reeve (or "Plucky Penny, the Astonishing Acrobat") was, indeed, out of town. After some pressing, her people managed to get her on a Farspeech stone, and Angus had been able to ask her a few questions. More than enough to rule her out as a potential suspect.

The retired adventurer was to be Angus' next visit, and he actually ran into her as she was stepping out of her home. She was exceedingly well-dressed, and as Percy had said, well past her prime. Angus almost ruled her out then and there, but she'd been eager enough to talk about herself (a trait common in adventurers) so he'd accompanied her to a local tavern where she proceeded to order the most expensive bottle of wine in the house. Angus tried his best to keep things on track, and after twenty minutes of meandering conversation, he determined a number of things: Holly Samson was very friendly, could hold her drink better than Magnus or Merle, and was no threat to anyone but her liver and her own bank account. Angus had excused himself, but made a note in his book to keep her in mind as a potential future contact.

As he stepped out of the tavern, Angus found himself oddly nervous. His last stop was the one farthest from everything, and a place he'd never been. He'd had dealings with local government before, obviously, but never with anyone in such a high position. He barely knew the protocol required to even request an audience. Angus was rarely intimidated purely by social standing — having been part of an effort to save the world tended to give you perspective on the pettiness of that sort of thing — but that wasn't all.

Lady Blisk was a living legend. She'd resided in Neverwinter for some two hundred years and, rumor had it, been alive far longer than that. She'd thwarted numerous assassination attempts on Neverwinter's Council of Lords, quelled an earthquake brought on by a rogue warlock, broke a tidal wave against the walls of the city, and slain at least two dragons — she wore their opals in a bracelet on her wrist, like a trophy. She'd donated more precious treasures and relics to the University and the Museum than any other two people combined, and that wasn't considering the ones she kept for herself. The poets called her the Herald of Winter, because when she died, Neverwinter would be vulnerable in a way it hadn't been in generations.

Angus had dealt with powerful people before. He'd even known powerful people. But none of them cast as large or as long a shadow as Lady Blisk. If she were responsible for this, if she were involved in any way... what could Angus possibly do to stop her? What could anyone?

There was nothing else for it. Angus adjusted his cap, straightened his coat, and walked straight towards Castle Never. In all likelihood, she'd never agree to an audience at all. But he had to try.

* * *

 

After Angus had gone through all the necessary channels (the captain of the castle guard, a representative from Neverwinter's Guild of Magi, and the castle's own chamberlain) he had been told that he would receive summons "within due course." That was all he could get from anyone about a time frame, so he shoved it into the back of his mind to worry about if and when he needed to.

An evening at the library would have been very relaxing after that experience, but by the time he got there, the sun was setting. Angus was very conscious of leaving Taako alone for an extended period of time given the amount of trouble he could cause (intentionally or otherwise) so rather than stay and study, he checked out the books he needed and left as quickly as he could. On the way back, waiting for wagons to cross, he skimmed briefly through one of the hardbacks.

 _Flight of the Flying V_ was painted by a person named Seathe Samulkyn. The record was less than clear on their gender, or even their race. Depending on the account, they were everything between a thinly-built bearded elf, a large long-haired human, or (in one case) a wingless aarakocra with pitch-black feathers. The only real consensus was that they were a "gifted Scholar of the Magickal Arts" who had lived "many lives upon Fayrune" and that their art was "beautiful beyonde all compare."

After he nearly collided with a streetlamp, Angus put the book away. He imagined his parents' voices chiding him for reading in the street, and Taako's lilting amusement as he threatened to trip Angus himself.

As he strode through the courtyard and up the steps to his apartment, Angus was both exhausted and oddly excited. The legwork was over, the research almost finished. He was on the cusp of something now — like he'd almost finished the corners of the puzzle, built the frame through which the truth could be seen...

Angus snorted. _Wow, McDonald. Maybe tone it down a bit._

He reached for his spare key, hung invisibly at the top of the doorframe, and unlocked the door. Angus could smell food before he'd even opened it, and he realized just how hungry he was, having not eaten since the train ride back from Rockport.

"Hello, sir!" he said cheerily, pushing open the door. "What smells so g—"

Angus froze on the threshold as several things caught his attention at once.

There was a very large, very flowery bush in a ceramic pot in the far corner. A handful of awful paintings he'd never seen before were hanging from his walls, one of a cat climbing along a clothesline and another with dogs playing cards. His tiny kitchen table had been replaced by a larger one of heavy rosewood, with matching chairs.

Silvia was sitting in one of those chairs.

Taako turned, sleeves rolled up and his personal _Sizzle It Up! with Taako and Company_ apron lightly stained with what looked like—

"Risotto, my dude," he said with a smug grin. "Want some? You must be starving."


	10. Meanwhile...

Much as he occasionally enjoyed pretending otherwise, Taako wasn't an idiot; when Angus gave him his key and shooed him off, he knew it wasn't for his benefit. Which was fine, really — the kid had a job to do, and Taako was a great big walking distraction. He could have left town right then and there, called it a day and gone back home.

And then Angus would be on his own. Looking for someone who could cast seventh-level Evocation.

Nah. Taako could afford to stay a bit longer. Not like he had anywhere else to be. Besides, the boy needed his help. Not with the case, he clearly had the detective shit locked down. No, Angus need Taako's help with something far, far more important.

_Alright, first thing's first: how do you find a cop?_

* * *

 

"Hey, hold this."

Taako tossed a random dwarf his purse.

"Thanks." Then he turned, cupped his hands by his mouth, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Thief! Thief! A thief is stealing my purse!"

All heads in the market square crowd turned toward them. The dwarf looked from side to side, panicked. "Wh—I didn't—"

"Thief! Thug! Brigand! Cutpurse!" Taako shouted. "Other words for a guy who steals!"

The dwarf threw the purse to the ground and took off into the crowd, elbowing people to get past. Nobody stopped him.

Taako snorted and went to pick up his bag. _Fuckin' Neverwinter._

Moments later, a shorter woman pushed her way through the crowd. Taako recognized her instantly.

"Alright, step aside, what's th—" She paused, brow furrowed. "Taako?"

He clasped his hands together and grinned. "Why, Silvia! What an absolute and total coincidence!"

"Uh-huh." Silvia nodded and removed a hand from her belt, by her wand holster. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, fine, just fine!" he said, waving it off. "Some ne'er-do-well tried to make off with my bag, but he dropped it. No bigs."

"Yeah, I heard the shouts." She glanced around as the crowd surrounding them began to turn away, then shrugged casually. "So, do you wanna file a report, or...?"

Taako tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Nah, I wouldn't wanna put you out. But it's so funny that we ran into each other again! Are you busy?"

She blinked, then gestured around them. "I'm on duty?"

"Right, right," he said dismissively. "How about after?"

Silvia rubbed the back of her neck, looking sort of confused. "I mean, I guess I don't have any special plans—"

"Excellent! Then we can take you up on that rain check! Stop on by Ango's place, we'll do dinner!"

"Uh—"

"He'll be a bit late, probably. I mean, you know him! Always with the detecting!" Taako laughed, short and sweet, then turned serious and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Now, do you have any allergies I should know about?"  
Silvia blinked again. "No, but—"

"Great! One less thing to worry about, am I right?" Taako elbowed her gently. "So what time should we expect you? Six? Six sounds good!"

"Six—"

"Six it is!" Taako stepped back, taking her hand in both of his. "Now I'm real sorry to cut and run, but I've got some shopping to do, and you've got, I don't know, whatever police-cop business is, right?"

"I'm—"

"Yeah, yeah, you're a busy woman on the go, I get it!" Taako stepped back, tipped his hat, flashed her his best smile and spun on his heel. He waved over his shoulder as he walked away. "Keep it real, maydl! See you at six!"

Taako shoved his way through the crowd without looking back and tried to find a street sign pointing toward the merchant district.

The game was on. Now he had to prepare the field.

* * *

 

With a flick of his umbrella, Taako Reduced the old table and chairs to a more manageable size, then tossed them thoughtlessly into the back of the Pocket Spa. He shoved the new rosewood table out into the kitchen, and then arranged the four matching chairs around it.

Now, Taako was no mensch, but whatever his apprentice had in his kitchen reflected on him. He needed something nice and heavy, pretty but able to take a beating. Magnus had mentioned rosewood being a particular favorite of his, and if there was one area Taako trusted Magnus' judgment in, it was this one. So rosewood it was. Of course, the carvings along the side and into the surface weren't exactly utilitarian, but hey, if you're gonna go to town, go in a wagon.

The art, however, he'd absolutely cheaped out on. No one cared what the hell was on a person's wall, only that they cared enough to put something there. If the kid didn't like 'em, he could go and get his own. That being said, Taako did find a few pieces that spoke to him. Surely Angus would appreciate them as well. After all, what was Taako if not a living, breathing gift to aesthetics?

As for the plant, that was easy. The park wouldn't miss it. They had dozens of those flowery bushes, and Angus' taxes had paid for them, anyway. Taako felt he was free and clear, morally.

He was in the middle of banging a nail into the wall with the handle of his umbrella when he heard a knock at the door.

"Just a minute!" he called in a sing-song voice.

Taako picked up the painting of the cat on the clothesline and hung it carefully. He stepped back, admired it, and nodded. Then he threw on his apron, shrunk the Pocket Spa back down, pushed the potted plant to its rightful place in the corner, and opened the door.

Silvia was dressed almost exactly as she had been that afternoon, minus the militia tabard. She turned to face him as he opened the door, looking apologetic.

"Sorry I'm late," she said, exasperated. "Some stuff came up, and I had to take care of it before I left the precinct for the day."

"It's cool, ketzile. In fact, you're right on time!" Taako said, stepping aside and ushering her in. "I was just about to start dinner!"

Silvia stepped inside and looked around while Taako shut the door behind her. Her eyes caught on the painting over the fireplace.

"Nice, huh?" he said, resting a hand on his hip.

"Uh, yeah," she said, nodding quickly. "Super nice."

"See, 'cause dogs can't play cards, normally."

"No, yeah. Totally."

Taako held his hand out. "Coat?"

Silvia blinked. "Oh! Right. Sure, thank you."

She handed her longcoat to him and Taako hung it on one of the hooks by the door. Then he stepped around the kitchen table and opened the fridge.

"Should have everything I need," he mumbled to himself, taking stock of Angus' meager provisions. "Can make do, anyway."

He looked over his shoulder at Silvia, standing near the kitchen table. "Take a load off! You want coffee? Tea? Beer?"

"No, I'm—" Silvia stopped halfway to her seat and raised her eyebrows. "Angus has beer?"

"Sadly, Ango's a real straight-edge," Taako said, shaking his head. "But I can whip some up, if you want. Water into wine is the easy stuff."

Silvia considered it for a moment, then settled back into her seat. "I'll stick with the water."

"Square," Taako said decisively, closing the fridge and getting a glass from the cupboard. "You two must've got along from the jump."

"Actually..." Silvia laughed a little. "Not so much."

"No?" Taako shut off the sink and handed Silvia the glass with a questioning look. "What, you butt heads or something?"

She shook her head and took a sip. Then she said, as casually as anything, "I arrested him."

Taako stared at her. Then he burst out laughing.

"I was on the trail of this cat burglar, and I found Angus skulking around the area of the latest theft, looking thoroughly suspicious," Silvia explained with a grin. "He fit the description. And when I patted him down and found the wand, the crossbow, the blackjack—"

"Stop! Stop!" Taako begged as he gasped for breath, bent at the waist and holding himself up with the counter. "I'm gonna black out!"

Silvia laughed while Taako fought to recover. He straightened against the counter and wiped tears from his eyes. "Ah, fuck. Poor little twerp."

"He helped me track down the real thief," she said. "That's when I decided he was alright."

Taako opened the fridge again and gathered up what he needed: mushrooms, shallots, butter and cheese, plus some green onions he could chop up and transmute into chives. The rice came from the cupboard; not the right kind, but that was easily remedied. Water to white wine, cheddar into parmesan, a little black pepper and sea salt, and Taako was in business.

While he prepped his ingredients, he said idly, "So, maydl, tell me about yourself."

"Me?"

Taako glanced over his shoulder and gave her a look. "No, the plant in the corner. Yeah, you! What's your story? You didn't come out of the womb with cuffs and a badge, right?"

"Well... kinda." Silvia shrugged. "It runs in the family."

Taako filled the pan with water from the sink and with a swirl, turned it to chicken broth. He set it on one burner and picked up the only other skillet Angus owned. "You like it?"

"I do. It's good work. Fulfilling. And ever since Lord-Commander Boudicca took the office, corruption has hit an all-time low."

Taako took a moment to decide between butter or olive oil, then cupped a bit of water in his hands and subsequently coated the skillet with oil.

"I've met the Commander a few times, once when I was promoted to lieutenant," Silvia said, a little awe creeping in. "She's... incredible."

 _Bit of a kiss-up, huh?_ Taako sneered to himself and started dicing mushrooms into the pan. "Alright, forget about work. What's a gal like you do for fun?"

Silvia shrugged in his periphery. "Uh. Read, I guess? Solve puzzles, go hiking... oh, I love to climb, too! I've been meaning to take some time off and head south along the World's Teeth, try and make a summit or two."

"Why bother?" Taako tossed the mushrooms casually, using Prestidigitation to heat them faster and prodding them with a large wooden spoon. "You know magic. Just float on up and enjoy the view."

She shook her head. "It's not the same. And I don't like to use magic when I don't have to. I don't want it to become a crutch."

Taako turned and pointed at her with the spoon. "See, there's where we differ, maydl. Magic's like a great ass. If you got it? Flaunt it!"

To punctuate his point, Taako poured the mushrooms onto a plate (one of the new ones he'd picked up today, of course) then with a flourish, added the shallots and white rice to the empty pan. With a dexterous flick of his wrist, Taako tossed the rice in the pan and transmuted it to brown, and then with another toss, to Arborio rice. Silvia clapped politely, and Taako took a little stage bow.

"Besides," he said casually, turning back to the stove and sneaking a grain of rice into his mouth, "some of us need that crutch."

Silvia paused for a moment, then cleared her throat. "Sorry. It's just how I feel. Probably picked it up from my mom."

"She a wizard?"

"Nah. That'd be my uncle. He's the one who taught me."

"How much?"

"Fifth-level, mostly Evocation. Sixth, if I stretch." She shrugged. "I'm okay. Could have learned more, I guess."

When the rice began to turn gold, Taako stirred in the white wine, making sure to taste it on his tongue beforehand. Not a good vintage, transmutationally speaking, but it didn't have to be. "Why stop there?"

"It was all I needed to enter the Academy," Silvia said simply. "Militia was short on wizards at the time, and for as much as mom tried, I was never gonna be the best with a sword and board, y'know? So, I asked my uncle to teach me magic. He was over the moon about it, made a point to... well, to shove it in my mom's face at every opportunity."

Taako grinned. "Well, I don't know about your mom, but your uncle sounds alright."

There was a brief silence. Taako hummed tunelessly to himself as he stirred the rice.

"She was a good woman. Taught me a lot."

Taako froze. His smile disappeared and he felt his jaw clench as he tapped his wooden spoon on the edge of the pan.

"Sorry, maydl," he said quietly.

"It's alright," she said. In his periphery, he saw her lean her elbows on the table and smile mournfully. "Anyway, my uncle moved down to Armos to be closer to his husband's family, so I haven't had the opportunity to learn more."

Taako decided to be quiet for a bit and let the awkwardness scab over. He added a bit of broth to the rice and stirred it in.

"What about you?" Silvia asked. "You teach Angus?"

"Only everything he knows," Taako said, a smile forming on his lips. "He's damn good in a kitchen."

"Really?"

"Hell yeah." He spun on his heel and grinned, tugging at his apron straps. "Compared to anyone but me, of course."

Silvia grinned back. "He help with your cooking show?"

"Help? He was my trusted and loyal apprentice!" Taako spun back to the stove — _can't screw around too much with risotto._ "Toured for seven years, helped with every single performance."

"Wow." Silvia shook her head. "Hard for me to imagine Angus out in the countryside, peeling potatoes in the back of a wagon."

"First of all," Taako said seriously, "he was paring, not peeling. There's a difference."

Silvia almost laughed. Then she furrowed her brow curiously. "Wait, is there?"

"Secondly," he continued, ignoring her, "what's so hard to believe? Ango's a worldly kid. Been all over the place."

"Just... not a side of him I've seen, I guess," she said, rubbing the back of her neck. "So it was just the two of you?"

"Oh dear fuck, no!" Taako exclaimed, aghast. "Can you imagine? We'd drive each other insane!"

Silvia laughed. Taako turned back to add the last of the chicken broth to the rice.

"Nah, I had Krav with me," he said, smiling despite himself. "Tall, dark, and bony. Patience of a saint, dumb sense of humor. The total package."

Taako flattened his expression and turned to look at her. Very casually, almost disinterested, he asked, "You got anyone special, maydl?"

She blinked. "Uh. I mean — no. Not right now."

He nodded casually and looked away. Then he grinned privately and did a little arm pump as he tended to the risotto.

"So, the three of you all on tour, huh?" Silvia asked. "Sounds like a family affair."

Taako paused. He braced one hand on the counter and fiddled idly with the spoon, staring at nothing.

"Wasn't always," he said. "But... yeah. Guess it ended up that way."

He looked over at Silvia. She looked a bit stricken, like she was afraid she'd said something wrong. Taako smiled at her and tapped his chest.

"Wasn't _'and Company'_ until they came along."

Just then, Taako's ears perked up; footsteps coming up the outside stairs.

"Speaking of company," he said, nodding towards the door.

A moment later, Angus entered, arms full of books as he fumbled with the knob.

"Hello, sir! What smells so g—"

The amount of pleasure Taako took in Angus' dumbstruck expression was extraordinary. Taako gave him the smuggest smile he could muster and spread his hands innocently.

"Risotto, my dude. Want some? You must be starving."

People really underestimated how much fun being an asshole could be.


	11. Who We Are

Angus stood stock still in his doorway for a moment, unable to form words. One of the leather bound books in his arms started to slip free, and he startled and struggled to catch it. Silvia reached out and grabbed it, then helped steady him.

"You got it?"

"Y-Yeah, I got it."

Silvia stepped back and smiled anxiously. One hand moved to the back of her neck. "Sorry, I was just on duty earlier, and I ran into Taako—"

"It's okay!" Angus said quickly. Then, shifting his books in his arm, he added, "I mean, if it weren't, I'd let you know. Not that it wouldn't be! But—"

"No, no," Silvia said with a little laugh. "I get it."

Angus stood there for a second, staring at her. Then he came to his senses. "I, uh, should put these down. Away."

"Ya think?" Taako said sardonically, turning back to the stove and picking up a plate of mushrooms. "Food's almost ready, so ditch the books and wash up."

Angus nodded at Silvia apologetically, then went straight to his bedroom and shut the door. He dumped the books on his bed, took off his cap, and stared into the mirror above his dresser. He carefully took off his glasses, then reached up and scrubbed at his face. Hard.

_You just tried to get an audience with the most powerful person in Neverwinter. Why is this worse?_

Angus pressed his palms into his eyes and clenched his jaw. He walked over and picked up a pillow from his bed, pressed it into his face, and screamed as loud as he dared for several seconds. Less than satisfied, he set the pillow neatly on the bed, put his glasses back on, and left the room to meet his fate.

* * *

 

Now that Angus' brain was able to process things again, he noticed that Silvia was still in her militia uniform, sans coat and tabard, and her hair was still tied back. He wondered if she'd been on her way home for the evening when Taako tracked her down; Angus didn't believe for a second that they just 'ran into' each other.

She almost caught him staring, and he glanced away as he sat down. Taako was plating the food, and Angus felt his stomach growl. He'd had his risotto before, and as frustrated as he was with Taako right now, Angus certainly wouldn't turn it down.

"Bazinga!" Taako exclaimed, turning around with two full plates in his hands. He set one in front of each of them. "Bon appetit!"

Angus stared down at his plate — _are these plates new? and where did he get the flatware?_ — and then looked up at Silvia.

"This looks tremendous, Taako," she said, a degree of awe creeping into her voice. "You really didn't have to go to this much trouble."

"P'shaw!" Taako said with a dismissive wave. "I cook like this all the time. Nothin' special."

"He's not lying about that," Angus said, glad to have something to say. "You don't live with Taako and not eat like a king."

Taako preened a bit as he picked up his fork. "King's underselling it, really."

They began to eat; Angus waited for Silvia to start, as etiquette dictated. Taako, as always, didn't care. After the requisite exclamations and compliments to the chef (which Taako accepted with unusual grace) they ate in relative silence for a few minutes. Angus used this time to collect himself more thoroughly. Taako seemed entirely at ease, and though he shot the occasional smirk at Angus, he didn't try to strike up any conversation.

Eventually, Silvia broke the silence. "So, Taako raised you?"

Angus looked at Taako, expecting him to speak up. When he didn't turn his attention away from his plate, Angus answered for him. "Yeah. He's... family. We're family."

"Not by blood, though."

Angus hesitated for just a moment. Another glance over at Taako. No visible reaction.

"Not that it matters at all," Silvia added quickly, eyes wide. "I just — y'know, it can be hard to tell, sometimes."

"Of course. No hard feelings, right Taako?" Angus asked, looking at him once again.

Taako didn't look up. Angus was beginning to suspect something was wrong when he heard a very strange noise.

_Ding ding._

A noise which sounded an awful lot like Taako's voice saying "ding ding" from under the table.

Taako perked up immediately. "What's that?" he asked the room, reaching into his pocket. "Why, it's my Farspeech stone! It must be Kravitz, calling to check in on me." He stood and walked behind Silvia, briefly resting a hand on her shoulder apologetically. "Very sorry, my dear, I really have to take this. You kids go on without me! Ciao!"

He was out of his chair and out the door inside of seven seconds. Not for the first time, Angus was forced to admire Taako's ability to make himself scarce at a moment's notice.

Silvia looked worried. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No!" Angus quickly shook his head. "Not at all! He's... he can be difficult. Sometimes."

"It's strange," she said, looking at the door. "He was so talkative before you got here."

Angus dreaded the answer to the question that he was about to ask. "About what?"

"About me, mostly. And you, too."

He closed his eyes and grimaced. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Oh, don't get me wrong," Silvia added. "He was overflowing with praise. Absolutely glowing."

After brief consideration, Angus couldn't decide if that was better or worse than the alternative. "I'm very sorry you had to put up with him for so long. I would have hurried back if I'd known."

Silvia laughed. It burst from her suddenly, like she was startled. "You make him sound terrible!"

"He can be, if you let him," he muttered, glaring at the door. When he turned back, Silvia was staring at him strangely.

"Sorry," Angus said, putting his head in his hands. "It's been a busy couple of days. I shouldn't take it out on him."

"Thought you two got along."

"We do! We really do! He's just..." Angus sighed and gestured weakly at nothing. "You know?"

Silvia huffed, smiling slightly, and crossed her arms.

Angus rested his elbows on the table, manners forgotten. Regardless of what Taako had tried to teach him, honesty usually struck him as the best policy.

"I really am sorry, Silvia," he said. "I'm not exactly a social person, and Taako thought he'd take it upon himself to fix that, because that's how he is sometimes, and he dragged you here without telling me, and now I'm exhausted and nervous and I really don't know what to say."

He took a breath after that and silently berated himself for rambling. Silvia smiled wider, and Angus felt his cheeks flush.

"You really have to stop apologizing, McDonald. I'm not mad. Honestly, I don't get out much either, these days. You get all caught up in the job, and..." She looked away and shrugged. "You end up bringing it home with you."

Angus nodded slowly. Silvia shook her head, hand moving to the back of her neck again.

"Listen to me. I get a regular government paycheck, I don't run my own business. Really, I don't know how you do it."

"Me?" he asked, surprised. "You have it way harder. I don't have a superior breathing down my neck all the time, or orders I have to follow, or protocol, or anything like that."

Silvia smiled again, and her hand dropped from her neck. "How about we both agree that our jobs are hard as shit?"

Angus smiled back. Something in his chest untied itself when he did. "Deal."

Silvia seemed to relax, too; a little tension in her shoulders disappeared, and she sat up straighter in her chair.

"You say you're not social," she said, looking curious, "but you seem to get along alright on the job."

"That's different."

"How?" she asked, not unkindly.

Angus blew out a breath. "Seriously?"

Silvia nodded. "Seriously."

He adjusted his glasses and knew he was blushing. He'd never had to explain it to anyone before, and examining it in the cold light of day made him feel thoroughly embarrassed. Still, if honesty was the best policy...

"It's... fun."

Silvia tilted her head. "What's fun?"

Angus shrugged helplessly and stared at his risotto. "Meeting with clients. Talking to contacts. Solving puzzles. That's what 'fun' is to me. I'm Angus McDonald, Private Detective. That's who I am — who I've always been. There's other parts of me, sure, and I don't hate those parts at all... but they're not me the way this job is me. So when someone asks me if I want to go out on the town, get a drink, hang out... I feel lost. I can't imagine what I am when I'm not... this."

He looked up. Silvia's expression was difficult to read. Not cruel, or confused. Thoughtful. Sympathetic, maybe.

_Could be pity, too, you know._

Angus looked away again and felt his fingers fidget awkwardly. "That got really heavy, didn't it. I'm sor—"

"Stop."

Angus winced, reflexively, and said nothing. When he looked back, Silvia had uncrossed her arms and was resting them in her lap. She looked down and laughed quietly.

"You've apologized more in the last ten minutes than the entire time I've known you, McDonald." She shook her head. "You weren't kidding about being lost, huh."

Angus swallowed and nodded.

"I mean, I get it," she said. "I really do. I've known I was going to be in the militia for as long as I can remember. My mom did it. Her mom did it. Now I do it. Not that I ever wanted to do anything else, mind you, but... that certainty, knowing exactly what you are and what you will be your whole life? It can be... suffocating, I guess. Hard to leave room for anything else."

Silvia glanced up. Something flickered across her face, and Angus realized that his expression was probably the same as hers had been.

"Look," she said, taking her napkin from her lap and putting it on the table. "You don't have to be something you're not. If you want me to go, I can—"

"No," Angus said quickly, laying his hand on the table. "I don't."

They met each other's eyes. Angus felt his stomach jump.

"That probably doesn't make sense, huh," he mumbled. "After what I said."

"It's fine." Silvia smiled tentatively. "I don't want to go, either."

Angus was sure his surprise showed on his face. He smiled back. "Okay."

"Okay."

Silence.

"Hey, uh. Angus?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we finish the risotto now?" she asked, pleadingly. "Because I skipped lunch and I'm so fucking hungry."

His eyebrows rose. Then Angus laughed, and he felt like he could breathe again. "Yeah, of course."

Angus stood and held out his hand. Silvia handed him her plate, and he turned to the counter. He used a bit of Prestidigitation to warm the plate in his hands, and a Produced Flame to sit above the risotto and heat it for a moment.

"Taako taught you magic, huh."

"Among other things." Angus snuffed the flame and scooped another heaping portion of risotto onto the plate. He took a moment to carve and shape it with the spoon — apparently Taako hadn't seen fit to spring for a rice mold. Then again, knowing Taako, he probably thought molds were for the weak or deficient.

"The cooking he told me about," she said. "He said you were damn good."

Angus finished, then turned and handed her the plate. "He really said that?"

Silvia grinned and picked up her fork. "'Compared to anyone but me,' he said."

Outwardly, Angus rolled his eyes. Inwardly, he took a moment to appreciate how meaningful a compliment that was.

"He asked a bunch of questions, too."

And the moment was gone. "About what?"

"How we met, for one."

Angus grimaced as he picked up his own plate and started to serve himself. "Oh, good."

"He thought it was very funny."

"Yeah," he sighed. "I'm sure he did."

"Don't know if I've ever seen an elf laugh that hard before," she said pensively.

"You know how much crap he's going to give me for that?"

Silvia smirked. "Yeah, I didn't really care."

Angus shook his head as he sat down with his plate.

"Should we leave some for him?" she asked.

"Nope."

"Figured," she said with a laugh, and took another bite.

They ate in silence, and this time, Angus could actually enjoy it. Taako's risotto had always been a personal favorite of his, and the older he got, the more he appreciated it. He had to wonder if that was why Taako made it tonight. It was possible. Unlikely, perhaps, but possible.

Their plates cleared, Silvia set down her fork and sighed contentedly. "Thanks, McDonald."

"For what?"

She peered at him, amused. "For dinner?"

He blushed. Again. "I didn't do anything."

"Angus."

Angus huffed and adjusted his glasses. "Alright. Okay. Thank you for coming."

Silvia smiled. Angus smiled back. She was about to get up, he could tell. He'd stand and walk her to the door, and they'd say their goodbyes. He'd open the door for her, and she'd walk out. Before she got to the stairs, she'd turn around and say one last pithy thing, and he'd laugh and agree with whatever it was. He wouldn't shut the door until she was across the courtyard and out of sight, and even then he'd take a minute before he went back inside. It would be a good end to the evening. Great, even, considering how it started.

The thought of it still made him sad.

"You said you like puzzles," Silvia asked suddenly.

Angus blinked. "Uh, yeah."

"You got any?"

He shook his head apologetically. "The one I'm working on now, the client wants kept private for as long as possible."

"No, no, not work," she said quickly. "I mean, like, a puzzle. One you put together?"

"Oh! No, I—" He paused. "Wait."

Angus pushed himself out of his seat and went straight to his bedroom. In his tiny closet was a little hand-carved chest, and in that chest, beneath his backup journal, was a smaller wooden box with brass hinges and a beautiful coat of varnish. He took it out and strode back out into the kitchen. Silvia was putting the dishes in the sink. She looked up and grinned.

"Knew you had to have one," she said.

Angus gestured to the sitting area. Silvia went ahead and sat on the couch. Angus set the box on the coffee table (Taako hadn't replaced much of the living room furniture, thankfully) and conjured a flame in the small fireplace for light.

"So?" Silvia asked as he sat down next to her. "What is it?"

"I don't know. It was a graduation gift," Angus explained. "I've never actually found the time to put it together."

He opened the box and dumped it. Two hundred tiny cream-colored wooden pieces fell out. Angus set the box aside as Silvia picked up a piece.

"Fancy," she said, turning it to see the dark engraving on one side.

"Hand-carved, I'm sure."

"Excuse me?" she said, surprised. "Who hand-carves a jigsaw puzzle?"

Angus grinned. "Someone with a lot of dogs, a lot of tools, and a lot of free time."

Silvia stared wide-eyed at the piece in her hand. Angus started looking for the corners.

* * *

 

The puzzle didn't take them long to complete. It was only a few hundred pieces, and after the corners were finished, they'd been able to fill in the center with remarkable speed; Silvia seemed to have a gift for finding the specific shapes needed to fill in a blank.

"So this is your idea of fun, huh?" she asked, when only a few pieces remained.

Angus picked one up and slotted it in cleanly. "Hey, you asked."

"Yeah, I did." Silvia picked up two and slotted them both in. "I was so sure you'd have a whole closet full, too."

"I guess I thought if I was going to solve a puzzle in my spare time, I might as well be working."

"Fair," she admitted, "but this is lot less stressful, isn't it? No victims. No consequences."

Silvia picked up the last piece and offered it to Angus. He politely declined. She raised it up and, with a triumphant flourish, slotted it into the last free space.

"You get to the end, and it's just a picture of a turtle."

It was a very nice picture, too — details on the shell, in the grass, in the lake in the background, in the dopey expression on its face. Magnus must have had a hell of time carving it into the original woodblock.

"You make a good point," Angus said, leaning back into the couch.

"I usually do," she said cheekily. "You remember that thing with the Averley boys fighting for their inheritance?"

He gave her a knowing look. "We were both right."

"And yet you didn't believe me."

"You didn't believe me, either," he countered. "You barged into my office—"

"I did not barge."

"—barged right in," he continued, unable to stifle a grin, "and said it had to be the eldest brother who'd done it."

She shook her head. "I did not, I did not say that—"

"I told you I'd already figured it out, and it was the youngest brother."

"You said you thought it was the youngest brother."

"Yeah, just like you thought it was the oldest. And then stood there for an hour shouting it at me."

"You were being stubborn," Silvia said simply.

"Because I was right!" Angus exclaimed, throwing his hands up.

"The point is," she said, holding back a laugh, "I had to convince you. And I did."

Angus crossed his arms haughtily. "I'd say we convinced each other."

Silvia glared at him, then turned and gently rested a hand on his arm. "It's okay, McDonald," she said gently. "No one's around. You can admit you would have gotten it wrong without me."

"Gotten it—?" He paused, shocked. Then pressed a hand to his chest. "Ohhh, that hurts, Silvia."

She smirked, and it lit up her eyes. "The truth often does."

Angus laughed into a snort, which made Silvia start laughing, which made him laugh harder. He leaned back into the couch, gasping for breath. Silvia was practically cackling as she crumpled at the waist, clutching her sides and pulling her legs to her chest. It was the hardest Angus had laughed in years, and when it was over, his ribs hurt like hell. He dragged his thumb across his eyes and blew a long sigh. Silvia giggled next to him, and the sound of it threatened to start him laughing again, but he fought it down.

He turned to look at her. She was slumped into the couch next to him, wiping her own eyes with the back of her hand. Angus was struck, once again, by her appearance; the way the fire lit her face, danced in her eyes, made her look warmer and more real in some strange way. He'd seen plenty of beautiful people before, but there was something about her in particular that always caught his eye, made him stare a bit longer than he knew was polite. Angus had never really considered why that might be. Largely because, as with most things, he already knew the answer.

Then he looked down and realized that his hand was on her knee. A moment later, so did Silvia. Angus removed it immediately and looked away.

_Shit. Shit shit shit._

Angus straightened in his seat. He didn't want to move away — he very much did not — but he wouldn't dare move closer. He rested his hands on his knees and tried to find words, any words at all. He came to the same conclusion he had all night regarding honesty, and hoped that this wouldn't be the time it blew up in his face.

He took a slow, deep breath, and then started to turn towards her. "Silvia—"

Silvia leaned in and kissed him, and all conscious thought evacuated his brain. Time seemed to stop, and Angus would have been perfectly fine if it never resumed.

She pulled away, a flush barely visible in her dark skin, bright brown eyes wide and expectant and looking at him in a way Angus was in no condition to analyze.

"Too fast?" she asked quietly. When he took too long to answer, she nodded and looked away. "Too fast. Fuck. Fuck."

Silvia rested her elbows on her knees and buried her face in her hands. She blew out a sigh, and when she lifted her head up she sniffed loudly. "I'm so sorry," she said without looking at him. "I... I shouldn't have—"

Angus gently turned her head towards him and kissed her back.

He had no idea what he was doing, in so many ways. He'd only kissed a handful of people in his entire life, and he'd never done it long enough to get any good at it. All he knew was that if he didn't kiss her right now, he was certain he would never get the chance again. Angus simply couldn't live with that.

Considering how she was leaning into it, he had made the right choice.

Silvia's hands touched his neck, his cheek, reached up and ran fingers through his hair. He did the same, brushing his thumb across the line of her jaw, letting his other hand drop to her side, her back, even the curve of her hip. She deepened the kiss, and Angus responded as best he could.

When they separated, they were both out of breath. Angus couldn't look away from her eyes, which was alright, because he didn't want to.

"Silvia," he said, between breaths. "I—"

"Silvie."

He blinked. She put her hand on the back of his head and brought their foreheads together.

"Silvie's what my friends call me," she said with a smile.

Angus smiled back, breathing her in. "Silvie."

She giggled quietly, desperately, fingers twining in his hair. "You were going to say something?"

He struggled to remember what he'd intended to say, and when he did, he struggled to remember how to say it. In the end, he settled for the simplest words.

"Me? Really?"

Silvia — _Silvie_ — laughed again, a much happier sound. "Yes, McDonald. You."

Angus grinned so hard he thought his face might split. He closed his eyes and tried to take in every sensation of this moment he never wanted to forget.

And he sensed something that wasn't supposed to be there.

Angus pulled away, and Silvia startled. "What? What's wrong?"

Staring at the door, Angus lifted a hand over the back of the couch and drew his fingers from left to right. In his mind's eye, Detect Magic showed him an empty apartment, save for a single bright blue sphere of Divination hovering by the door, barely an inch in diameter. The size of a large marble, or a silver coin.

Or an eye.

"Taako!"

The orb winked out, and an instant later the front door opened.

"Okay, hon, good talk!" Taako said loudly into his stone. "Lots of love! Hugs and kisses! Bye!" As he pocketed the stone, he made a face. "Jeez, when Kravitz wants to talk, he really gets goin'! Boy, am I pooped! You mind if I kip up in your room, boy wonder? Thanks! I'll just set up the Spa and get a good night's sleep! Sorry to make you guys wait up so long! Buenas noches!"

Taako slammed the bedroom door shut behind him. Angus stared daggers at it, then slumped back onto the couch. He looked at Silvia, and when she looked away from the door, she shook her head.

"How did you wind up together, again?"

Angus opened his mouth, then shut it with a sigh. "It's a long story."

"I've got... wait, what time is it?"

She looked over her shoulder at the clock on the wall. When she turned back, looked disappointed.

"I should go," she said. "Work tomorrow."

"Yeah," Angus replied. "Me too."

They stared at each other. Neither of them moved.

"Actually," Silvia said slowly, lifting Angus' arm and wrapping it around her shoulders. "I think I'll stay just a bit longer. If that's alright."

Angus settled against her, squeezing her hand with his and resting his cheek against the top of her head.

"Absolutely."


	12. Precepts and Preparations

Taako didn't bother trying to sleep, and he certainly didn't try meditating. He waited in Angus' bedroom until he heard movement (no more Clairvoyance, he'd gotten in enough trouble with the boy tonight) and waited even longer until he heard the front door open and close. Very quietly, Taako edged open the door and poked his head out. He didn't see anyone at first, then he caught sight of Angus' telltale head of hair still poking above the back of the couch.

Magnus had told him once that you shouldn't go to bed mad. Taako certainly wasn't, but Angus might be. Why he might be was a mystery, considering how the night had gone, but it was a distinct possibility. Which meant Taako had to do what he disliked the most, and talk to someone about their feelings.

_Think about it this way: if he's mad, you can sort of half-apologize and he'll forgive you, and if he's not, you get to say I told you so. No downside._

He stepped out and sauntered over to the couch. "You're welco—"

Angus' eyes were closed, and he was snoring quietly.

Taako blew out a sigh of relief, though he was a little annoyed at Silvia for skipping out on the boy before breakfast. That is, until he saw the puzzle on the table — a number of pieces had been removed and set aside, leaving a heart shape in the center.

He covered his eyes with his hand and stifled a groan. _These fuckin' nerds._

Taako debated waking him, but decided against it. Instead, he returned to the bedroom to get Angus' comforter, and then gently draped it over him. Firmly ignoring the warm feeling in his chest, Taako dusted off his hands, congratulated himself on a job well done, and then went back to kick it for the night.

After a long and rejuvenating soak in the spa's hot spring, Taako laid around in a terrycloth robe for a few hours reading _Fantasy Cosmo_ until he heard movement from outside. When he poked his head out, he found Angus, freshly showered and buttoning up a new shirt.

_Welp. Time to tear off the band-aid._

"Mornin', boychik," Taako said casually, leaning on the stiff canvas doorway.

Angus didn't turn around. He finished buttoning his shirt, then glared at Taako in the mirror.

"Just because your little plan worked out doesn't make it okay," he said seriously.

"Are you still mad about that?" Taako asked innocently. "I thought time healed all wounds."

"It was less than twelve hours ago."

"So? C'mon, Ango—"

"I mean it." Angus leaned on his dresser. "Don't do that again."

Taako looked away with a groan. He realized he was fidgeting on the spot, and rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright."

"And that's a promise?"

Taako crossed his heart and held up two fingers.

"Okay then."

Angus looked away, opened a drawer and pulled out a tie. With a sigh, Taako turned to head into the spa and get dressed himself.

"Hey, Taako?"

He paused. "Yeah?"

Angus tightened his tie and smoothed it against his chest. He glanced at Taako in the mirror, and smiled.

"Thanks."

He took a vest off the top of the wardrobe and slipped it on, then left the bedroom without another word.

Taako took three steps into the spa, then proceeded to run around with his arms in the air like Jordan after he won one of his many basketball championships.

* * *

 

There was no time for a decent breakfast. Angus wanted to get right to work, catch up with his secretary, and pour over these onerous-looking tomes he got from the library. Taako could have stayed behind, or gone for a walk, or even gone home, but he felt compelled to stick close by. If only to make sure Angus didn't do anything he learned from his Uncle Burnsides.

They stepped inside McDonald Investigations. The secretary stood from his desk as they entered.

"Good morning, sir," Gavin said politely.

"Morning, Gav," Angus said, setting down his books and taking off his coat. "Have a good weekend?"

"Quite, sir," he said with a curt nod. "Thank you for asking. And yourself?"

The boy hung his coat and cap on the rack next to the door. Taako didn't bother.

"Not bad," said Angus with a smile. "All things considered."

"Shyeah, apart from almost getting roasted, sure, real relaxing," Taako said sardonically.

Gavin quirked an eyebrow. "Roasted, sir?"

Angus blinked and adjusted his glasses sheepishly. "Well... yeah, that did happen, huh."

"And the runaway wagon!" Taako said. "Don't forget that."

"Let's call it an 'interesting' weekend, then," Angus said diplomatically. He turned to Gavin. "Any mail?"

Gavin furrowed his brow, but quickly got back to business. "Two potential clients with an interest in your services, regarding matters less than urgent. I wrote them back that you were currently indisposed. Their names and addresses are on your desk."

"Great, Gav. Thanks. No appointments today, right?"

"No, sir."

"Good. I'm gonna be busy for a while. Let me know if there are any walk-ins."

"Of course." Gavin sat back down in his chair.

As Angus walked into his office, Taako leaned over to Gavin's desk.

"Hey, listen. About the other day. I just wanted to say..."

Gavin glanced up from his work, expression flat, but curious. Perhaps expecting an apology.

"...your hospitality could use some real work," Taako said sincerely. "Like, I shouldn't have had to ask for water. Or a straw. No no, I get it," he continued when Gavin opened his mouth to object. "You were probably really busy that day. It's cool. I just want you to know... I forgive you."

Gavin looked like he wanted to punt Taako into the sun. Taako flashed him a smug smile.

"Chin up, homie. You'll climb on up that ladder someday."

He ducked into Angus' office and shut the door behind him. Angus was sitting behind his desk, paging through a book. He looked up and glared at Taako.

"Be nice to my employee."

"I'm nice!" Taako said defensively. "Didn't you hear me forgive him?"

Angus shook his head and turned back to his work with a sigh. "I've got a lot of reading to do. If you're not going to help, at least don't be a nuisance."

"A nuisance? Me? Never!" Taako plopped down into one of the two chairs in front of the desk and propped one leg up. "I can totally help. I'll be your sounding board. Y'know, help you bat stuff around. I'm a great ideas guy."

Angus sneered a little. "As long as you do it quietly, sir, I don't mind."

"Cool." Taako reached into one of his pockets and pulled out an apple. "Just start talkin', Columbo. I'm all ears. Hee. Get it? Elf joke."

"Hilarious, sir."

* * *

 

Despite what the incident in Rockport might have implied, Taako was quickly learning that detective work was profoundly, upsettingly dull. Angus spent most of his time reading, skimming through passages about a million boring subjects just to find one little detail he'd jot down in his notebook. Taako was on his second apple while Angus was going through a new issue of the _Neverwinter Times_ Gavin brought in.

"Story hasn't broken yet," Angus muttered. "Can't be much longer, though."

"Why even keep it quiet?" Taako asked, biting off the bottom of the core.

"The Museum is famous for its security. It's how they get so many donations from collectors." Angus turned the page and skimmed it. "Once word gets out that something as priceless as the _Flying V_ was stolen, that's gonna lose them plenty of backers."

Taako took another bite, careful to avoid the seeds. "So how'd it get stolen?"

"They don't know." Angus folded the paper up and set it aside. "The guards switched shifts, and when the next guy got to the art wing, it was gone. No evidence of any kind."

"So, magic."

"Yeah, probably." Angus opened up another book and checked the contents. "Museum had a ton of mystic wards set up, but it wasn't impregnable or anything. A seventh-level magician could conceivably disable the wards, nab the painting and vanish in a matter of seconds. Especially if they knew the layout and timed it right."

Taako stuck the remaining core in his mouth and bit it off at the stem as Angus turned a page.

"Why that particular painting, though?" Angus muttered. "Why that and nothing else?"

"You tell me, Agnes," Taako said, tossing the apple stem into a bin by the door.

"I don't know yet," the boy replied, "but I've got a hunch."

"A hunch?" Taako straightened a bit in his chair. "Well, dish, bubeleh."

Angus lifted and spun his book to face Taako. There was a bunch of incomprehensibly ornate type on one page, and on the other, an illustration of a person with three different faces on their head, five arms coming out of their robes, and wings sprouting from their back.

Taako nodded slowly. "A monster did it."

"This book is from a hundred years after _Flying V_ was painted," Angus explained. "This is who painted it. Seathe Samulkyn."

Taako leaned in and peered at the picture. "With which arm?"

"I think it's meant to be metaphorical," he said, spinning the book back around.

"You think?"

Angus shrugged helplessly. "Every single account I've read so far describes them differently. Sometimes they're an elf, sometimes a human, sometimes even a goliath or a dragonborn. The one thing that they all agree on, though, is that they were a very old and very powerful wizard."

Taako's eyebrows rose. "A wizard, huh?"

He nodded and adjusted his glasses. "They use the word 'Scholar,' but yeah, that's what it means as far as I can tell."

"So what's your hunch?"

"That the only reason a wizard powerful enough to break into the Neverwinter Museum would want to steal this painting, is because of who painted it."

Taako took a moment to consider the implications of that. Then his eyes widened.

"Oooooooh. This isn't an art heist, it's some _Da Vinci Code_ shit!" Taako clapped his hands together and grinned. "Very nice, Ango."

Angus gave him a look and closed the book. "It's just a hunch. I don't know for sure."

"Nah, I'm sure that's it. Elven intuition tells me so." Taako tapped his temple. "It's like I always told you, boychik. Go with your gut."

The boy rested his chin in his hand. "You've never said that, sir."

"Pretty sure I did."

"Not once."

"Agree to disagree."

There was a knock at the door. Angus perked up, and Taako looked over his shoulder as it opened. Gavin poked his head in.

"Sir, there's someone here from Castle Never."

Angus' eyebrows shot up. "Sorry?"

"They say they've a message, sir. They're very insistent it be delivered personally."

"Uh." Angus stood from his seat. "Sure. Yeah. Send them in."

Gavin opened the door and stepped aside. A courier entered the room, clad in the humorless greys and blacks of Castle Never with a rich velvet longcoat trimmed in what Taako suspected was actual gold. He was impeccably groomed, and Taako had to admit he cut a reasonably dashing figure for a noble's flunky.

"Angus McDonald?" he asked, ignoring Taako completely.

Angus nodded. "Yes."

The courier reached a gloved hand into his coat and withdrew a scroll, sealed in blood-red wax. He held it out silently, and Angus took it.

"The Lord High Steward requests your presence this evening."

Taako glanced between the courier and Angus, who was staring at the scroll like it was a particularly dangerous tarantula. He looked up and seemed surprised that the courier hadn't left.

"If you're unable," the courier explained, "I can deliver your refusal to Her Lordship."

"No!" Angus said loudly. Then cleared his throat nervously and steadied himself. "I'm able. I'll be there."

The courier bowed slightly at the waist, turned on his heel, and left without another word. As soon as he was out of the lobby, Taako blew a raspberry.

"No good, pompous, stuck up—" He glanced at Angus and cocked an eyebrow. "You alright, boychik?"

Angus looked like he'd had some particularly bad shellfish. He sat down at his desk and, exceedingly gently, broke the wax seal, and unfurled the scroll.

"What's it say?" Taako asked. When Angus didn't answer, Taako frowned, pushed himself out of his chair and went to read over his shoulder.

_This Precept entitles the bearer,_

_ANGUS MCDONALD, of MCDONALD INVESTIGATIONS,_

_(and whosoever would accompany him)_

_passage under escort into the Second Sanctum of Castle Never._

_It is issued this day, the 25th of September of the year 1600,_

_by Castle Chamberlain Kimberly Higginbottom,_

_upon the order of the Lord High Steward,_

_KATARINA IPHIGENIA FEDOSIA BLISK_

Her signature rested at the bottom of the scroll, in large and ornate calligraphy. Taako snorted.

"Real full of herself, ain't she."

Angus laid the scroll on his desk and slumped backward in his chair. He took a deep breath and blew it out.

"Oh, c'mon, Agnes," Taako said with a scoff. "It's just another rich noble lady, probably does her hair up all crazy and sticks a birdcage in it."

"Taako..." Angus pulled a hand down his face. "You remember how we saved the world? And how no one actually knows we did?"

Taako nodded. "Still kind of bitter about it, yes."

"Lady Blisk is like that, if people actually knew about it." He started counting off his fingers. "She's slain dragons, banished demons, stopped natural disasters... she's saved tens of thousands of lives through her direct intervention. And that's only the stuff I know about."

Taako leaned his elbow on the back of Angus' chair. "So what you're saying is we're on equal footing."

Angus blinked and stared off into the middle distance. "You can't come," he said, standing up and pacing to the end of the room. "You can't come, that's all there is to it."

"Oh, like hell!" Taako leaned forward, hands on his hips. "You think I'm letting you walk on in there without me? She's a suspect, right? You said it yourself!"

"I never said—"

"And the fancy invitation clearly says 'whosoever,' and correct me if I'm wrong, but that includes yours truly!"

"Taako—"

Taako walked over and slapped his hands on Angus' shoulders. He glared at the boy as seriously as he ever did.

"We're in this together, Agnes. Understand?"

For a long moment, Angus looked like he didn't know how to react. Taako could relate — he'd barely even thought through what he was saying as he said it. But when the boy had threatened to go in alone, a whole chorus in Taako's head had shouted in perfect unison, _fuck that._ Taako wasn't in the business of second-guessing himself.

Angus dropped his gaze for a moment, took a deep breath, and nodded. "I don't suppose I could stop you, anyway."

Taako let go of Angus and crossed his arms. "Damn right you couldn't."

"But please," he pleaded, putting his hands together. "Please do not piss off the most powerful wizard on the planet in her own castle."

Taako laughed. "Please, pumpkin," he said dismissively. "I know how these nobles do. I'll be on my best behavior. Won't even take anything that doesn't belong to me!"

Angus buried his face in his hands. "You do so little to instill confidence, sometimes, sir."

"Oh, have a little faith in cha'boy!" he said, throwing an arm around Angus' shoulders. "And I know you're under some stress, so I'll ignore that comment about the 'most powerful wizard.' Now let's go shopping!"

Angus looked up curiously. "Shopping?"

"Uh, yeah, boyo." Taako tugged at one of Angus' lapels. "I'm sure as shit not going to be seen in high society with someone dressed like this."

* * *

 

It was still the afternoon, so Taako had the time required to get Angus looking presentable. He dropped him off at the place that had done the tailoring for his wedding, and paid up front before Angus could argue about it. While he was being measured and fitted, Taako took his leave. He had his own Sunday best that he'd brought with him back in the Pocket Spa, but there were a couple other important things he wanted to have before they went into what was potentially an evil witch's castle.

First, an alchemist's shop. The old guy who ran the place was persnickety as all fuck, and normally Taako would have taken some amusement in tormenting him, but he was here on a mission, so he bought what he needed, and skedaddled. Then, a magic parlor along the same road. Nothing fancy here, only a few ritual components, but ever since that seventh-level barn-burner he'd been thinking that he might need to do something similar down the road.

Errands complete, Taako threw down the Pocket Spa in a secluded alley and changed into an outfit that was suitably elegant-yet-bold in that "don't fuck with me" sort of way. On impulse, he decided to strap his favorite old knife to his lower back, largely because it made him feel better. Then he headed back to collect Angus.

The boy was waiting out front of the tailor, standing beneath an alchemical streetlamp in his brand new formalwear: black longcoat, black trousers, black vest, shiny shoes, a brilliant white shirt, and a tie in a summer sky's shade of blue. He looked uncomfortable, though how much of that was due to the situation, Taako couldn't tell.

"I feel ridiculous," Angus said, tugging at the bottom of his vest. "And what do I need these gloves for?"

"Gloves complete the look," Taako said simply, brushing off the boy's shoulders. "You're welcome, by the way."

Angus sighed. "Thank you, sir. Although, again, you didn't have to pay for this."

"Oh, yes I did, bubeleh!" Taako said knowingly. "This guy don't work for peanuts!"

"You're really not making me feel better about this," Angus said as Taako started to direct him down the street.

"Don't worry about it, Ango. You don't owe me a thing."

Angus looked up at the darkening evening sky. "Three, two, one—"

"Except undying loyalty for the rest of your natural life."

"There it is."

Taako laughed and smacked Angus' bicep with the back of his hand. "Come on, let's go meet the queen or whatever."

"Lord High Steward and Archmage."

"I said 'or whatever!'"


	13. The Herald of Winter

Castle Never was a colossal structure of solid grey stone, as tall as any building in Goldcliff or beyond, and could be seen from nearly every part of the city. It sat on an island in Neverwinter Bay overlooking the city's horseshoe-shaped cove. Three different bridges connected three different gates to the mainland, all equidistant from each other, and there were three tall towers built on other smaller islands connected only to the ramparts and spires near the top of the castle. Angus explained that they were headed towards the central bridge, the longest of the three and the most heavily guarded.

"Castle Never is actually more like three castles smashed together," he said. "There are three Sanctums, one for each of the branches of the city government. The First Sanctum is local government, aldermen and representatives and judges and whatnot. The Second Sanctum is where the Council of Lords meet; they get voted in by the aldermen, and decide state and foreign policy."

"What's the third one, then?" Taako asked, knowing he'd be told anyway. _Boy talks when he's nervous. Let him talk._

"Third is where the current High Lord and his family lives. That's the face of the government, the one who breaks ties if the Council is in deadlock, meets with foreign dignitaries, signs bills into law and all that. The Lord High Steward is basically the next rung down."

Angus stopped and took a deep breath as they stood across the road from the Second Sanctum bridge. Taako furrowed his brow and pat him on the back.

"You're not gonna pass out on me, are you?"

Angus closed his eyes, reached up and rubbed them with his thumb and middle finger, then adjusted his glasses. He steadied himself and opened his eyes.

"I'm good," he said firmly, and stepped forward.

There were at least a dozen guards in heavy plate marching back and forth from one end of the long stone bridge to the other, or at watch at the top of small towers built on either side at regular intervals. They walked towards a guard stationed at the very foot of the bridge, greatsword drawn and resting point-down between his feet.

"Business?" he asked, voice echoing in his fluted helmet.

Angus reached into his coat and pulled out the scroll. "I was invited."

The guard extended a hand and took the scroll. He unfurled it (with some difficulty in his heavy plate, which Taako found amusing) and after he read it, handed it back to Angus.

"We've been told to expect you, sir," the guard said. He jerked his helmet in Taako's direction. "Is this person to accompany you?"

Taako crossed his arms haughtily as Angus said, "Yes."

The guard stepped aside with a series of heavy clanks. "You may pass. Her Lordship's personal steward will meet you at the far end."

"Thank you," Angus said with a nod. He pocketed the scroll and marched forward. Taako followed close behind; as the guard's helmet turned to watch him, he flashed a winning smile and waved at him.

All eyes were on them as they crossed. Taako could feel it. Normally, he relished attention, but when it came from heavily armed and armored folk, it tended to make him a bit anxious. He tapped at the stone with his umbrella as they walked, whistling a tune, trying to convince himself everything was totally cool. It didn't work as well as he wanted it to.

When they got to the other side, a woman was waiting for them. She was a dragonborn with bright yellow scales, dressed in a dark frock coat and a long, modest skirt.

"Castle Never welcomes you, Mr. McDonald," she said as they approached, bowing at the waist. "My name is Priscilla. I serve at the Lady's pleasure."

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Priscilla," Angus said, bowing politely. He glanced pointedly at Taako as he did so, but he didn't need to worry — Taako was already bowing and mid-flourish with his hat.

Priscilla stared at him. "Your guest is...?"

"Taako, my dear!" he said loudly, putting his hat back on with a smirk. "You know, like from the show?"

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar."

"Oh. Well, that's okay," he said dismissively. "We can't all be cultured."

"We're ready to go," Angus said quickly, smiling apologetically. "Whenever you're ready, ma'am."

Priscilla pouted a bit, then sniffed disdainfully and turned. "This way, sirs."

They followed after her. As they crossed the threshold of the castle, Taako stumbled and had to catch himself on Angus.

"Whoaaa," he said, shaking his head. "Why's the floor spinning?"

"I felt it too," Angus said, steadying him. He turned to Priscilla. "What was that?"

Priscilla turned and seemed to smile ever-so-slightly. "The Lady does not allow magic in the Second Sanctum. As a precaution."

"Doesn't allow—?" Taako straightened and dug his palm into his forehead, and he realized his glamour had vanished. That would have troubled him more than anything if his arcana hadn't gone with it; it felt like he'd just lost an entire sense, one he didn't even realize how much he used until it was gone. "You can't just 'not allow' magic! What, is there a big on-off switch in the basement?"

"The Lady has her ways," Priscilla said plainly. "That is all I am able or willing to say."

"It's fine," said Angus with a hand on Taako's shoulder. "Please, lead on."

Priscilla turned and walked ahead, the two of them following behind. Angus glanced at Taako, the look on his face one of resignation.

"No turning back now," he muttered.

"Pfft." Taako shook his head. "Like you even considered it."

* * *

 

Castle Never, Taako decided, was three things.

First, it was gorgeous. Yeah, it was a bit drab for his tastes — lots of bare stone and wrought iron, when there wasn't wood or brass or silk — but even he couldn't deny it. Every ceiling stretched high, every doorway arched to a perfect point, every window was fitted with crystal clear glass (when it wasn't stained in the image of some goddess or another) and Taako didn't see a single piece of furniture that would look out of place next to the best of Magnus' work. There were mosaics inlaid into the floors of specific rooms, frescoes in the walls and ceiling, and an absurd number of weapons and armor on display, with plaques recounting their various histories.

Second, it was a maze. Corridors stacked on corridors, stairs that led to balconies overlooking places they'd already been, elevators that took them down so they could take more stairs up. There were rooms at every turn, some doors closed, others open, but even though there should be plenty of landmarks to guide them, it felt like they'd gone in a full circle at least twice. Taako was pretty sure he couldn't find his way out if he had a map to guide him. He had no idea how Priscilla could possibly keep it straight.

Third, it was too damn big. The amount of walking they had to do just to get to a lousy parlor was insane. Why couldn't this Lady Blisk just meet them at the front door like a normal person? If she was so big and bad, what was she so afraid of that she lived in the center of this goddamn Sanctum, surrounded by guards and anti-magic fields and whatever the hell else?

Taako was about to start speaking his mind to Angus when Priscilla stopped in front of a set of large wooden doors that stretched from floor to ceiling. She pressed her hands to them and pushed, and with remarkably little effort, they swung silently inward.

The room was large and open. Bookshelves lined the walls on either side, while the far wall held a massive fireplace large enough to stand in, flanked by two sets of windows with glass doors that led out onto a stone balcony overlooking the city. A large chandelier hung above bearing dozens of warm alchemical lights, giving the room a warmth matched only by the smokeless fire burning in the fireplace.

There were four chairs, each with its own small table sitting beside it. Between all these chairs stood two women framed by the light from the fire, one shorter and slighter than the other, with her back to the door. The taller woman Taako vaguely remember having seen recently.

"My Lady," Priscilla said loudly.

The tall woman glanced in their direction. She touched the other's arm before turning away and walking towards the door. Priscilla stepped aside to allow her to pass.

"Lord-Commander," Priscilla said with a bow.

"Priscilla," the woman said with a respectful nod. She strode past them, taking the time to glare at both Taako and Angus as she did, then continued down the hall.

Priscilla turned back. "Masters McDonald and Taako, to see you, my Lady."

"Thank you, Priscilla."

The dragonborn bowed to the room, then turned and walked away.

Angus crossed the vast and empty expanse of the room, slowly and respectfully. Taako followed, kicking his feet out in a saunter. Feigning confidence was his usual play in situations like this. Fake it 'til you make it, and all that. The boy started wringing his hands, and Taako smacked him lightly on the bicep to make him stop.

Angus adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. "Lady Blisk?"

The woman turned to face them. She had silver hair, from age or otherwise, done up in a tight bun but for two segments which hung loose at the sides. They framed her face, softly wrinkled but strangely ageless; she looked in her fifties, but they were good fifties, the kind actors have. Sharp features, with large eyebrows and a hawkish nose above a mouth coated in very subtle lipstick. She would have been almost plain, if it weren't for her eyes; one a frosty blue the color of polar ice, the other a light brown, almost orange, that looked damaged — like her pupil had burst and the black was beginning to leak towards the white.

"Detective McDonald." She closed her eyes and nodded. "A pleasure."

Angus bowed immediately. Taako reluctantly followed suit, and when he did, noticed something else — Lady Blisk's hands rested on the head of a cane. A straight, simple piece of off-white wood which narrowed at the tip, with a flattened handle to brace a palm against.

As he rose, she turned and regarded him fully. "And you must be Taako."

"That's my handle," he said casually, flicking a finger to tip the brim of his hat. "You've heard of me, of course."

"Of course."

"I—" Taako paused, furrowed his brow. "Really?"

"Really?" Angus asked, in disbelief.

She nodded. "I've seen the show. Very creative."

"You've seen—"

"—the show?"

The Lady smiled, and turned away. "Come. Have a seat."

Taako looked at Angus. Angus looked at him. They shared a brief _what-the-fuck_ moment, then did as the lady asked.

The chairs were high-backed and made of some kind of really soft leather (Taako suspected it was from something rare and dangerous) and he lowered himself into one next to Angus. Taako spun his umbrella as he watched Lady Blisk use her cane to lower herself carefully into a chair opposite the two of them.

"Have you eaten?" the Lady asked. "I'll send for something."

"I'm fine, ma'am," said Angus.

"I'll take a scone and some tea," Taako said flatly. "See if the cooks you've got here are any good."

She smiled wryly and lifted a bell on the table next to her. She rang it, and a section of bookshelf opened in the wall behind her. A figure stepped out, clad in a plain white robe, hooded and veiled, with gloves covering their hands and wraps around their wrists.

"Yes, my Lady?"

"Send someone with tea and scones, Beatrice." Blisk turned to Taako. "Chamomile? Earl Grey? Oolong?"

Taako pouted. He'd been hoping they wouldn't have his favorite, just so he'd have something to complain about. "Oolong."

"Oolong, Beatrice."

"Yes, my Lady." The woman bowed and left, closing the hidden door behind her.

"Now," the Lady sighed, crossing her legs and resting her hands on her knee. "You wished to speak with me, detective."

Angus swallowed audibly, lacing his fingers together in his lap. "I did, ma'am. I've been hired to look into a particular matter, and along the way, some evidence came to light implicating a high-level magician in the crime."

Blisk said nothing. She indicated for him to continue.

"A source I had in Rockport gave me a list of names. Local residents who could have cast a modified seventh-level Evocation spell." Angus squeezed his hands. "It was a short list, and your name was on it."

Blisk still said nothing. Taako continued to spin his umbrella, turning the handle in his hand as he glanced between the two of them.

"I've since spoken to everyone else on that list, and I've come to the conclusion that none of them could be the culprit." Angus took a breath. "You're the only person I haven't spoken to."

She nodded. "So, logically, I must be responsible."

"I didn't say that."

"Then why are you here?"

Angus bristled a bit at that question. It was very subtle, but Taako saw it. "It's my job, ma'am."

"Your job is to speak with people you don't believe committed the crime you are investigating?"

"My job is to be thorough," Angus said firmly. "It would be irresponsible of me not to follow up every potential lead, no matter how remote the possibility."

"And yet you determined these others couldn't be responsible from, what?" Blisk dented her fingers. "A single conversation?"

Taako frowned. He was holding his tongue because this was Angus' scene, but if Queen Shit of Fuck Mountain was gonna start trash-talking his boy—

"My Lady. With all due respect to you."

Angus rested his hands on his knees and bowed at the waist. When he rose, he crossed his arms.

"I'm very good at my job."

The Lady stared at Angus for a long moment, and Angus stared right back at her. A little smile crept its way onto Taako's face.

_Atta boy._

Lady Blisk rested her hands in her lap. She turned her head slightly, as if to get a better look at him.

"Yes," she said quietly. "You are, aren't you."

Angus blinked. Blisk pressed a finger to her temple. At first, Taako thought she was casting a spell, but she merely rubbed the spot as though it were sore.

"I apologize, Mr. McDonald," she said plainly. "But we've never met in person, and I like to take my measure of someone before I trust them with anything."

"I don't understand."

"You will." She lowered her hand and stared at him seriously. "I'm aware of your client, Mr. McDonald, and the nature of the item you've been tasked with recovering."

Angus frowned. "How? I haven't told anyone."

Blisk smiled knowingly. "Very little in Neverwinter escapes my notice, young man. Least of all the theft of an artifact like the _Flying V._ "

"Artifact," he said plainly. "So it's not just a painting, is it."

"No, detective. Not necessarily."

Lady Blisk picked up her cane and used it to push herself to her feet. She walked over to stand by the fireplace, favoring her right leg. "I trust you've done your research on the artist?"

"Seathe Samulkyn."

"Yes. One of the most powerful people of their era. Or any era." She rested her hands on her cane and stared into the fire. "Samulkyn was many things to many people, Mr. McDonald. Artist. Philosopher. Wizard. Scholar. Hero to those who wrote the histories. Villain to those whose names have vanished from all memory."

"He a friend of yours?"

Lady Blisk looked over her shoulder to Taako, who was fiddling with a charm on the end of his umbrella.

"I'm not that old, sir," she said with a wry smile.

Taako shrugged. "Worth a shot. Heard enough about you to fill a barn full of horseshit."

Angus glared at him. "Taako."

"It's alright, detective." Blisk turned away again. "I'm well aware of my reputation. The majority of it is well-earned. But all my achievements are nothing in comparison to Samulkyn's."

She chuckled quietly. "I admire them a great deal, I'm sure you can tell. I have for most of my life. Samulkyn is... an aspirational figure to me. Their philosophies on the nature of magic and its uses, the place for those who wield it in the world... those are the things that drive me to do what I do. They are why I've used my position as Archmage to curtail magical abuses, and my place on the Council of Lords to push for greater regulation, regardless of how many enemies it made me."

"Enemies?" Taako sneered skeptically. "Thought everybody loved you. Big fancy hero and shit."

"The ones who don't are less than vocal. But that doesn't make them any less dangerous." Lady Blisk turned and faced them fully. "I'm going to tell you a story. I think it may answer some of your questions."

Angus nodded and pulled out his pen and notebook.

"Samulkyn was peerless, the story goes. They defeated any foe that dared challenge them, but their greatest threats were always wizards, and their greatest foe always themself. They believed that magic was a boon to all people, a gift to be used with the best of purposes. But they were deeply fearful of temptation, for if they should ever choose to use their power selfishly, there were none alive who could stop them. So, near the end of Samulkyn's life, they made a decision. They gathered up all their many treasures, acquired over many lifetimes' worth of adventures. Powerful magical artifacts of every description, a hoard that would make a dragon blush. And they cast a spell to seal the hoard away, that it might never tempt another as it tempted them."

Taako glanced over at Angus and found him looking back. A lot of this temptation shit sounded awful familiar.

"But the spell was imperfect, as all spells are," Blisk continued. "Every vault must have a door, every door a key. No matter how powerful Seathe Samulkyn was, no matter how skilled, they could not break this rule. So, the story goes, they gave what remained of their life to create the Vault, and their living memory to create the Door, but it still required a Key."

Angus looked up from his notebook, eyes wide. "The painting."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not." Lady Blisk smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "That is where the story ends, I'm afraid."

"How do you know all this?"

"I've dedicated most of my life to the legacy of Seathe Samulkyn, Mr. McDonald," she said, limping over to her chair again. "And I am not alone. Many in the Guild of Magi know that story. Few of them believe it, however. Fewer still believe the key to be anything so mundane as a physical object."

She lowered herself into her seat and sighed, drumming her fingers on the cane's head.

"But _Flight_ was one of Samulkyn's final creations before their death. If your thief believed the story, it would be a likely target."

The bookshelf opened again. Another hooded and veiled woman walked out with a tray in her hands, upon which sat a teapot, three cups and saucers, and a plate of scones. Taako paid her little mind as she walked over and set the tray on the table next to Lady Blisk.

"That's a very nice bracelet, Taako," she said, smiling as the servant poured her tea. "You've excellent taste."

Taako glanced down at his wrist — the spiral bracelet set with large opals practically glowed in the light of the fire. "Oh, yeah. Ain't it somethin'? Was a gift, actually."

"Costume, I presume?"

"Well, who can say, really?" Taako said with a smug grin. "I mean, it's not like you see a bracelet like this every—"

Lady Blisk rested her chin in her hand — her hand, which was wearing a bracelet identical to Taako's.

"—or maybe you do, I don't know." He shrugged and waved it off. "Like I said, it was a gift."

"A lordly gift, to be sure," she said, spinning her cane much as Taako had spun his umbrella. "Dragon opals aren't easy to come by."

"That's true," Taako said, nodding knowingly. "Very true indeed."

As the servant handed him his tea, he glanced over at Angus. The boy smiled, amused and entirely unhelpful. Taako glared at him and Angus looked away innocently.

"Thank you, my dear," Blisk said as the servant finished her work, bowed, and walked slowly back towards the door. She turned to Angus. "Have you any other questions, Mr. McDonald?"

Angus rested his cup and saucer on his lap. "I do, actually."

She smiled slightly. "I expected as much."

Taako sniffed his tea — _smells fine, but it always does —_ and discreetly reached into his pocket for the item he'd bought from the potion seller.

"Why are you helping me?" Angus asked as Taako added a pinch to his tea. "Not that I'm complaining. But to share all this with me... what do you gain?"

Lady Blisk chuckled dryly. "No chance I could be doing it out of the goodness of my heart, then?"

Angus flinched, just a tiny bit. "I don't mean to be unkind—"

"No, no. Your question was entirely reasonable." She leaned back and lifted her cup from the saucer, staring into it. "If altruism isn't enough... think of it as a precautionary measure. If the story is even remotely true, it is in everyone's best interests to keep the Door closed. Neverwinter's, the Guild's, and my own."

Taako looked down. His eyes widened, and his gaze shot to Angus, raising his cup to his lips. With a quick swing of his umbrella, he swatted it from his hands. It smashed against the floor, scattering oolong and porcelain across the marble. Angus and Blisk both looked at him, shocked.

"Taako, what—!"

He held out his cup to Angus.

Its contents were a bright, swirling pink.


	14. Cat and Mouse

Angus took nearly three full seconds to process what he was seeing, what it meant, and to jump to his feet and look towards the door.

The hooded servant still stood on the threshold, hidden door half-closed, waiting. The moment Angus stood, she turned and bolted.

"No you don't!" Angus shouted, breaking into a sprint after her.

"Agnes!" Taako shouted, throwing his cup to the floor and nearly slipping on tea. "Hold up!"

"What's happening?" Blisk demanded. "Who—"

"Someone just tried to gank your ass, Your Worship!" Taako said quickly, racing after Angus.

"Impossible! No disguising enchantment would work in—"

"It's not magic!" Angus shouted over his shoulder.

Taako had to fight to keep up as they approached a corner. Behind him, he heard Blisk shout for Priscilla. Angus nearly ran into the wall and pushed himself off hard to maintain speed. Taako did his best to keep up, but his cloak, his umbrella, and particularly his shoes were slowing him down. It didn't help that the service corridors were even harder to get your bearings in than the main halls; bare walls, lower ceilings, and minimal decor but for wall sconces and alchemical lamps.

Angus was right on her tail. They rounded a corner ahead, and there was a loud crash. Taako spun around it, found a different hooded servant on the floor surrounded by broken glass and a burst bottle of wine. Taako jumped over him, not looking back. Ahead, their quarry ducked into a side room, and Angus followed. There were more crashes, and shouts, and as Taako approached, a dragonborn in a chef's hat and apron stumbled out and fell onto the floor.

Inside was a mess — a full pot of soup thrown on the floor alongside dishes and cutlery, a burning torch on the counter, a knife embedded in the wall. Taako just barely caught Angus sliding over a counter and throwing himself through a door on the opposite end of the room.

"Shit!" Taako cursed, nearly slipping in the soup. "I didn't bring my fucking chase boots, Angus!"

When he broke through, he'd completely lost sight of them. He kept running until he reached an open door and a t-junction. Taako skidded to a stop, chest heaving, and heard another crash — this time of metal on metal. He raced after the sound.

_I swear to god if he doesn't catch her I'm going to be so pissed—_

Taako ran straight into a dead end.

_Shit!_

He spun and started to run the other way when a servant came out of another door, looking around desperately. Taako ran up to them and shouted, "Where?!"

The man, wide-eyed, pointed back the way he'd come. Taako shoved them aside and ran into the room (nothing but wine racks and kegs, like a winery) and headed straight for the only other door he could see. He was officially lost at this point, but he had to keep moving. No point in doing anything else.

He shoulder-checked the door open and found himself in one of the main halls, a set of windows in front of him overlooking a narrow bridge to one of the island towers. Taako was about to turn away and start running when he saw the hooded woman run out onto the bridge. With a laugh, Taako raised his umbrella to break the window.

Nothing happened.

"Fuck!" he said, stamping his foot. "This no-magic shit sucks!"

Just then, Angus raced out onto the bridge and flung his arm up. A crossbow bolt flew from his wrist and struck the stone near the woman's feet. She came to a sudden stop. Taako clapped his hands and cheered. "Nice!"

Outside, Angus quickly reloaded and leveled his wrist at the woman. Her back was to him, and he started approaching slowly. Taako couldn't hear through the glass and the wind outside, but he hoped Angus was saying something particularly smarmy or badass. He'd taught the boy that much, at least.

Suddenly, with a burst of motion, the servant spun and threw something. A smokescreen erupted from the stone between her and Angus. He fired his bow into the cloud, then sprinted forward.

Taako pressed his hands to the glass. "No, don't rush in, stupid!"

From his vantage point above, he could see what Angus couldn't; the woman leapt off the side of the bridge with a rope trailing behind her. The smoke dissipated — Angus had taken off his coat and was swinging it wide to clear the air — and then he saw the small grappling hook on the railing.

"Okay, just cut it," Taako said. "See it, cut it, let her fall. Job done, go home."

Angus saw the hook, and then ran up to look over the edge. Taako couldn't see the woman anymore, but the rope suddenly went slack, blowing in the wind.

"She fell, right? She fell!" Taako glared hard through the glass as Angus paced away from the railing. "Don't be stupid, kid. Don't be Magnus. Don't even be Merle. Just come on back, we'll go and—"

Angus turned and took a running jump off the bridge.

_No! Fuck oh fuck oh fuck—_

Taako spun around, looking for something to break the glass with. There were two battle-axes crossed on the wall behind him. He ran over and grabbed one, heaved it off its rack, and swung it as hard as he could. The glass shattered, and wind howled in from outside as Taako took two steps back and then jumped through. He landed hard on the bridge below, but managed to tuck himself into a roll to avoid breaking an ankle. He clambered to his feet and raced over to the side, one leg up, ready to jump—

Angus was a hundred feet below, but still in the air. He had his wand in his hand, and was floating gently down to the sea. Below him was the woman in white, already on the ocean, running on the water's surface.

Taako fell backwards onto his ass, relief flooding through him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Stone of Farspeech.

"Angus, you little shit!" he shouted into it. "I nearly had a fucking heart attack!"

"Sir?" Angus answered.

"You jumped off a fucking bridge, dipshit!"

"I saw her cast Featherfall about halfway down!" Angus replied. "She must have known the limits of the anti-magic field!"

"And instead of taking the elevator to head her off like a sane person—"

"I didn't have time!" he shouted. "And I don't right now, either!"

"She's gone, Ango!"

"I can still see her! Wait, hang on!"

Taako got up and looked over the railing again. Angus hit the water, but it only came up to his ankles. _Water Walk, that's third level, right? Feather Fall is first, so that's two spells burned._

"I'm going after her!"

"Wait for me, damn it!" Taako shouted. "I'll bring dudes with big swords!"

Angus breathing became labored as he started running across some fairly choppy seas. "No time! She'll get away!"

"Then she gets away! You've already burned two spells!"

"So has she!"

"She can cast seventh-level! She's got more than you!"

"Damn it!" Angus cursed, loudly. It was very unfamiliar, coming from him. "Get down here fast! We'll meet up! She's heading for the docks along the south side!"

"Wait! Angus!"

The light on the stone went out as the line went dead.

"Fuck everything!" Taako snarled, pushing off the railing and running for the door.

* * *

 

Taako ran into a group of guards inside, most of whom seemed extremely pissed. They took an express elevator down, and Priscilla met them at the bridge along with maybe a dozen other heavily armed and armored men and women.

"The assassin is to be considered armed and dangerous," Priscilla said loudly, addressing the group. "But my Lady wishes her arrested, not dead. Carry yourselves wisely, and take no foolish action. Your safety is the Lady's primary concern."

The castle guard saluted as one, and marched out onto the bridge. Taako followed at a brisk pace, planning on catching a cab to the docks as soon as he was able, when Priscilla stopped him.

"Where is Master McDonald?" she asked.

"Ran off ahead," Taako said, pushing past her. "I'm gonna find him."

"My Lady would have you stay behind."

"Your Lady can kiss my perky elvish ass!" he shouted over his shoulder, and didn't look back.

Taako found a cab easily enough, stuffed a handful of gold coins into the driver's hand and said to book it to the south side docks. To his credit, he did; the ride was rough and the wagon nearly tipped over on a hard turn, but they made it in a matter of minutes. Taako threw more money at the cabbie, not bothering to count it, and ran off.

Neverwinter's docks were a maze of storehouses and factories, largely empty by this time of night. The cobblestones beneath his feet were rough and worn with overuse; Taako nearly turned his ankle twice running down blind alleys. He didn't know where he was at any given moment. The only real landmark he had was the towering shape of Castle Never, bright windows and torches silhouetting it against the night sky. He used it to keep his bearings.

He pulled out his stone more than once, but Angus wouldn't answer. Taako tried his best not to think about why that might be. When he made it out to the westernmost piers, he started to loop around the edge and turn back, hoping against hope he'd turn a corner and run right into the boy.

_This has all gone straight to shit. I swear to god, when I find that kid—_

Suddenly, Taako heard a sound. Metal clanging against stone. He started running towards it, cursing himself for behaving like Magnus, and found a storehouse door ajar with light coming from inside. This, he approached more cautiously; umbrella up, one hand on the hilt of the knife he'd strapped to his lower back. He sidled up to the door and peeked inside.

The building was three stories high, a single large warehouse filled with mounds of wooden and metal crates of various shapes and sizes, piled into towers stretching nearly to the ceiling. There were hanging lamps at regular intervals along the rafters, shining pools of light onto the rough stone floor.

Angus lay next to a discarded white robe, face down and turned away. His cap sat next to him, and a small pool of red stained the ground near his head.

_No no no no no—_

Taako was by his side in moments. The blood was a vibrant red, fresh, bleeding from a gash in the back of his scalp. Taako's hands hovered over Angus, trembling, wanting to roll him over, pick him up, carry him to safety, but unsure if that would only make it worse. He couldn't even tell if Angus was still breathing.

 _Merle,_ he thought senselessly, _where's Merle, gotta find Merle—_

Something looped around Taako's neck and he choked hard, struggling and kicking his feet. It felt like thick, corded silk, pulling tighter and tighter against his windpipe. He tried to pull it away, get his fingers underneath it—

"Shhhh," a familiar voice hissed into his ear. "We don't want to wake him, do we?"

Taako turned his head just enough to catch a glimpse of thick, curly hair.

_Silvia._


	15. Mage Rage

Taako was losing consciousness. He could feel it creeping at the edges of his vision, even as he fought to get his fingers beneath the garrote and pull himself free. He couldn't reach his umbrella, couldn't go for his dagger without dropping a hand from the cord, couldn't concentrate enough to keep a Mage Hand up for more than a moment.

And while the rest of his mind was occupied, that selfish little voice screamed louder than ever.

 _Do you see now?_ it said. _Do you see what complacency gets you? Soft! Weak! Stupid! How did you not see it coming? You let your guard down, and all it ever gets you is hurt! Now, look!_

In the haze of his blurred vision, he saw Angus on the floor.

_Look at what she did. To him. To you!_

Taako pulled himself forward as hard as he could, straining his neck against the cord. He stretched and bent forward at the waist.

_Now make her fucking pay for it._

With a flick of his wrists and a last gasp of breath, Taako threw himself backward and cast Levitate. His weight disappeared and he pulled his legs up and spun in mid-air as Silvia stumbled back. He barely managed to get his head underneath the cord and slip free, then he kicked off her chest, and propelled himself forward.

Straight towards his umbrella.

Taako grabbed it with one hand and pushed himself off with the other, spinning around in the air, catching Silvia trying to get back to her feet.

"Choke on this!" he shouted hoarsely, and a green beam of light shot from the umbrella's tip straight at her heart.

She vanished just before it hit, and the spell shot through the stone floor like it was nothing. Taako, still floating through the air, twisted around trying to cover all angles.

_Blink, that's third level; three spells down._

Above and behind, he heard a noise. He shifted and opened his umbrella, just in time to block a beam of searing heat. The force propelled him backwards, and he bounced off the floor.

Silvia stood atop a tower of crates, her wand drawn. "What is that made out of?" she asked, frustrated, then fired a stream of flame at him.

Taako couldn't close his umbrella, and he couldn't see past it to fire a counterspell. He was flat against the floor, the force of the blast keeping him pinned. His umbrella shook violently, tongues of flame licking past the edges as he braced both hands against the handle.

"Seriously!" Silvia shouted above the roar of the fire. "What is that thing made of?!"

Taako waited for the spell to end, but it didn't. She was channeling it, making it last as long as it needed to. He was trapped.

But he was still weightless.

With a vicious grin at his own cleverness, Taako pulled one hand back into a fist, and cast Gust of Wind. The umbrella flew straight towards her, dragging a weightless Taako with it. As she dodged out of the way, Taako turned as he flew by, reaching his hand back.

"Eat shit!" he shouted, and swung hard; an instant later, a six-foot spectral hand in emerald green materialized and smacked Silvia hard enough to send her flying off the tower of crates.

Taako closed his umbrella, tucked and rolled, and landed feet first on the warehouse ceiling.

_What do you have left? Burned the big ones. Fireball? Lightning Bolt? Scorching Ray?_

Slowly, Taako stood, rubbing his neck. Silvia lay where she landed on the ground, unmoving.

_Nah. Give her the Kalen Classic._

Taako pushed himself off the ceiling and dispelled Levitate when he reached the ground. He walked to where Silvia lay, and pulled out his knife. Without hesitation, remorse, or even a moment to say something cool, Taako grabbed her shoulder, rolled her onto her back, and plunged the knife into her chest.

It went straight through her, and she vaporized.

_Mislead!_

Taako spun in time to catch a giant neon fist right in the face. He hit the ground bonelessly, barely coherent, rolling onto his back in time to see Silvia's own Hand slam down on him, pinning him helplessly.

Silvia stood above him, looking smug. Taako tried to spit out a curse, but the Hand pressed down harder, and he choked instead.

She raised her wand and a ball of fire flew into the ceiling above, exploding and spreading quickly. Taako blinked hard as blood dripped into his eyes from a cut on his brow. He saw Silvia step back, hands pressed together.

"Please," she said coldly. "Do me a favor and burn to death, this time."

Then, with a final flick of her wrist as she turned away, the ceiling above began to collapse.

Taako tried to pull his umbrella free, still stuck under the Hand. A rafter fell and smashed the ground next to him, cracking the stone. He barely managed to get it out just as another section of roof fell towards—

_Angus!_

He swung his umbrella moments before the debris crashed down on the boy. Beneath the burning rubble, Angus lay untouched and protected by the bubble of Force that Taako had summoned.

The fire spread quickly, engulfing the roof and spreading down the walls. Taako's body was still pinned. He could barely move, but for his arm. He tried to push the Hand away, lift with his legs, anything, but he simply wasn't strong enough — Taako fell onto his back, breathing harshly, coughing and tasting blood in his mouth. He looked at Angus again, obscured by smoke and fire.

 _How long does Wall of Force last?_ he wondered. _An hour? Ten minutes? Can't remember. Gotta get it together, gotta focus._

Taako lifted his umbrella and tried to concentrate, tried to dispel Bigby's Hand.

_Can't. Tired._

He looked up at the ceiling. The fire was oddly beautiful in how it moved across the surface. He'd never really watched it before.

 _The boy'll be fine,_ Taako thought, and then passed out.

* * *

 

Taako heard a sound; an explosion, like distant thunder. Vague images of a woman silhouetted against the night sky, framed by stars and black against a wall of fire. She stepped towards him, and with a wave of her cane, everything grew dark and cold.

 _Competent woman,_ he thought.

And then nothing.


	16. Aftermath

When Angus woke up feeling no pain, he briefly considered the possibility that he was dead. He opened his eyes and found the world hazy and far too bright. He touched his face and found his glasses missing, and realized he must be alive; he was pretty sure ghosts didn't have astigmatism. He squinted, looking around.

This wasn't Neverwinter General, but it was very much a hospital; clean white sheets on a clean white bed in a clean white room of stone and marble. Sun shone through a large arched window behind him, and to his left, in the only other bed in the room, lay someone else. They turned their head, and Angus could barely make out their pointed ears.

"'Sup, twerp."

Angus sat up, and that's when his skull throbbed, like the remnants of migraine on its way out the door. He rubbed his head.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Saved your ass. Got my ass saved," Taako said plainly. "The usual."

"Where are we?"

"No idea. Anything else I can help you with?"

Angus fell back onto his pillow. His headache pulsed once more, then began to subside. "Are you okay?"

Taako raised a hand, thumbs up. "I'm good."

"Good," Angus sighed. "That's good."

"How about you?"

He ran a hand over his face. "I'm alright, sir. Just sore."

Taako hummed a gentle acknowledgment. "Good." Then he sighed, loud and exasperated. "Really shoulda waited for me, Agnes."

Angus grunted and weakly raised a hand. He was in no mood or condition to argue the point. Consciousness seemed a lot of work at the moment, and he was happy to take a break for a bit.

* * *

 

Angus woke again much later in the afternoon, feeling a bit more lucid. There was a healer at his side, a young dwarf that reminded him strangely of Mavis, taking a washcloth from his forehead and rinsing it in a water basin.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked, sitting up.

"On and off since last night," she said clinically. "You got your cage rattled but good. Concussions aren't easy to shrug off, magic or no magic."

Angus shook his head gently. It felt like his brain was solidly in his skull. No ache or dizziness.

"Thanks."

She scoffed quietly. "Don't mention it."

"I don't suppose you can tell me where I am? And, uh. Where my glasses are?"

The healer finished washing the cloth, wrung it out, and threw it over her shoulder. She opened a drawer beneath the basin and retrieved a pair of round eyeglasses, which Angus put on immediately.

"You're in the First Sanctum hospital ward," she said. "Private care for government officials. Best in Neverwinter."

Angus turned and looked out the window. Sure enough, the view was from the castle, but further south, closer to the docks. He could see them from here, busy and bustling as ships came and went like nothing had happened.

"Gotta go tell the big folks you're awake," the healer said. "They'll want to talk."

"Thanks again, miss," Angus said, nodding and smiling weakly.

The dwarf smiled back. "Not me you should be thanking. Lady Blisk carried you here herself."

As Angus' eyes widened, she turned and left the room. He looked over at Taako's bed and found it empty, but unkempt; he hadn't been gone long. Probably up and changing, like Angus ought to — he glanced down at the white cotton hospital gown that hung loosely around his shoulders.

 _Can't meet high society looking like this_ , he thought wryly. He climbed out of bed, and began to look for his clothes.

* * *

 

Angus found his formalwear under the bed, folded into a cotton sack. They were wrinkled and ashen, but otherwise intact. The bloodstains on the collar and the glove gave him pause; he vanished them with a quick piece of spellwork. He was putting on his jacket when he noticed that his notebook was gone — no doubt stolen by the culprit. At least he still had the archive back at his apartment. Still, now they knew everything Angus did, if they didn't already. The thought gave him pause.

As he was slipping his tie around his neck, the door opened.

"Oh, good, you're up," Taako said as he entered, clad in an entirely new outfit. He flopped down and reclined on his bed. "Storytime, Ango."

Lord-Commander Boudicca strode into the room, her heavy plate clanking. Behind her came Lady Blisk, still with her cane but with no discernible limp. _Magic?_ Angus wondered. _She was definitely favoring her leg in the Second Sanctum._

"Master McDonald," Boudicca said firmly, bowing slightly at the waist.

"You didn't catch them." It wasn't a question.

"No," said Blisk, resting her hands on her cane. "She slipped the net, I'm afraid."

"What happened?" asked Boudicca.

Angus shook his head and leaned back against the bedframe. "When they took off, I chased after them. They took a route through the castle I could barely follow... I'm still not sure if they knew exactly where they were going, but it seemed likely. They jumped from the skybridge leading to the southernmost tower, burned two spells to land safely and walk on water, and I followed as best I could."

"You should have waited for the guards," Boudicca said, crossing her arms.

"That's what I said!" Taako said loudly.

"I didn't have time," Angus said firmly. "I tried to keep them in sight, but once we hit the docks, there were too many blind corners. By then night had fallen, and I had to be more cautious. I heard a noise inside a warehouse, and when I entered I found a set of white servant's robes laying on the floor."

Angus reached up and tapped the back of his head. "They snuck up on me, and that's the last thing I remember."

"Did you see her face?" Lady Blisk asked.

"No, ma'am," Angus said.

"Well I sure as shit did!"

Taako stood from the bed as all eyes turned to him. He held up a finger and said, "Now everyone pay attention, because I was awesome."

As Taako told his story, Angus became increasingly incredulous. By the time he'd finished describing in minute detail his battle with Silvia (including his creative use of Gust of Wind, which he was very proud of) Angus was barely paying attention. It simply couldn't be true.

_Look at the evidence. What does it tell you?_

_Circumstantial at best._

_Mom might disagree._

_Mom's not here._

Angus shook his head as Taako finished his story, but before he could speak, Boudicca stole the word from his mouth.

"Impossible."

All eyes now turned to her. Her gaze was flat and uncompromising. "You are mistaken."

"Why?" Taako asked, hands on his hips. "Were you there?"

"No."

"Was she with you?"

"No."

He crossed his arms. "Then I rest my case!"

"It is still impossible," Boudicca said, thoroughly unmoved. "Lieutenant Hayden is of the highest quality. The Neverwinter militia could not ask for a better officer."

"Then we'd better start looking at the selection process, babe, 'cause she's dirty as hell."

Boudicca stepped towards Taako with a scowl. "I am the selection process."

"Really?" Taako took a step towards her. "Then I guess we know where the problem is, huh?"

They stared at each other, inches apart. Boudicca had probably fifty pounds and six inches on Taako, and he still glared up at her with absolute defiance.

"Lieutenant Hayden has my absolute confidence," Boudicca said through clenched teeth.

"Dierdre." Lady Blisk rested a hand on her shoulder. "Please."

Boudicca let her glare linger on Taako for a moment longer, before she stepped back and turned towards Blisk.

"I've kept you from your duties long enough," she said. "We'll talk later."

Boudicca looked as though she were about to argue, but glanced away with a huff instead. "As you wish."

She leaned in and pressed a kiss to Blisk's cheek, brief and chaste, before stepping away and leaving the room. Blisk watched her go, then turned to face Angus and Taako with a sigh.

"I trust Dierdre's judgment in this matter," she said with finality.

Taako's mouth fell open. He turned to Angus and gestured at Blisk. "Tell her, Angus!"

"Sir..." Angus shook his head helplessly. "I didn't see her face."

"But you believe me!" Taako stepped towards him and grabbed his shoulders. "Kiddo, I'm not making this up!"

"I know you're not," Angus said quickly. "But... I mean, it could be Polymorph, it could be Disguise—"

"Fuck's sake!" Taako cursed, pacing away angrily. "Bunch of dipshits blinded by the stars in their eyes!"

"Taako—"

He pointed at the door. "She's covering her own ass!" He pointed at Blisk. "She's too tangled up to see it!" Then he pointed at Angus. "And you don't want to believe it at all!"

"Taako!"

"Enough."

They turned to Blisk. She was pinching the bridge of her nose. When she looked up, she seemed tired.

"I'm afraid my decision on this matter is final." Before she turned to leave, she paused and looked at Angus. "I'm very sorry, detective."

And without another word, Lady Blisk turned and left.

* * *

 

The walk to Angus' apartment was one long uncomfortable silence. Taako didn't try to make small talk, grumble unkind words, or mutter dumb jokes under his breath. He didn't even hum that old Elvish lullaby he liked. He refused to make eye contact, and simply followed alongside Angus wherever he walked like he was caught in his orbit.

Angus, for his part, was thoroughly preoccupied with his own thoughts. Most of them were vain attempts to find some hole in the current theory that their culprit was... who Taako said it was. So far he had nothing. Not a shred of proof that it wasn't her.

 _Stop trying to prove a negative,_ he told himself. _Look at the facts. Consider the evidence. Follow it to the truth._

Angus had taken a handful of steps down that path, again and again, and found himself too scared to follow it to its end.

They arrived at his apartment, crossed the courtyard outside and climbed the stairs. Angus held out his hand and Taako wordlessly provided the key. The moment they crossed the threshold, Taako shut the door and spun on his heel.

"Alright, cut the shit. What are we doing now?"

Angus frowned at him. "What?"

"Well, you're not letting her get away with it, are you?"

The moment of hesitation before he spoke made Taako's eyes widen and Angus' insides curl up in a snarl.

"No," he said, as firmly as he could. "No one's getting away with anything."

"So?"

Angus turned his back to Taako and rested his hands on his new kitchen table. He closed his eyes and took a moment, felt his lungs inhale and exhale. He'd tried to focus, tried to detach himself, tried everything he could think of to make himself believe Silvia could be capable of any of this. None of it worked. There was only one course of action left to him.

"We start again."

A brief pause.

"Sorry?" Taako asked incredulously. "Did you say 'start again?' "

"We reexamine everything, circumstantial or otherwise, and—"

Taako grabbed Angus by the shoulder and spun him around. The look on his face would have reduced Angus to tears when he was a boy. Until that moment, he'd never realized how long ago that was.

"She's fucking guilty, Angus!" Taako snarled. "Face facts!"

"There aren't any facts!" Angus shouted back. "It's conjecture!"

Taako started counting off fingers, not breaking eye contact. "She's a wizard!"

"So are thousands of people in this city!" Angus retorted.

"She knew about your Rockport pal!"

"She wasn't the only one!"

"I fucking saw her!"

Angus had the powerful impulse to illustrate his point, so he pushed Taako back, less than gently. As he did, Taako's arcane glamour fell away, dispelled.

"You thought you saw her."

Taako stared at him. This time, the look on his face was all betrayal, and Angus nearly broke down and apologized. Then it seemed to freeze over, and Taako laughed in the cruel way he so rarely did anymore.

"Alright, dipshit," Taako said through his teeth; the edge in his voice was icy and brittle. "Explain to me how this mystery person knew about your dead old pal in Rockport?"

Angus clenched his jaw. Taako stepped forward again.

"Explain how they knew to set a trap, knowing you'd go there? Explain how they got into Her Fucking Highness' tea party without anyone noticing."

He closed into Angus' personal space, glaring up at him.

"And then explain how they knew to impersonate her, solely to fuck with you."

Angus turned away, pushed past Taako and paced into his tiny living room. He saw the puzzle on the table, still left incomplete, and took off his glasses to rub at his eyes. The tangle of thoughts and emotions roiling in his gut made him want to throw up. A particularly childish phrase kept repeating itself with little variations inside his head.

_This isn't supposed to happen. This isn't how it's supposed to be._

For a long moment, Angus was alone with his thoughts. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder, not sudden or firm, but tentative. Taako's voice was flat and quiet; almost apologetic, but not quite.

"She's bad for you, bubeleh," he said. "Cut her loose. The longer it takes, the worse it hurts."

In the back of Angus' mind, he noted the tone and tenor of Taako's words. He was, in all likelihood, speaking from experience. Not that it mattered.

"I'm going to the library," he said, putting his glasses on, turning towards the door. "I don't know when I'll be back. Do what you want. You always do, anyway."

Angus didn't rush out, didn't hurry. He avoided eye contact as thoroughly as Taako had on the way there, lingered to put on his cap and change his jacket, giving Taako every opportunity to do or say anything.

He didn't.

So Angus left without another word, and without looking back.

* * *

 

The librarian at the door knew Angus well enough to wordlessly hand him a key to the stacks in the back. He was thankful for that, since he wasn't much in the mood to talk to anyone. He pulled a handful of tomes related to Seathe Samulkyn, found a secluded desk by a window up on the fourth floor, and tried to do what he'd said and start again.

The facts were these, as far as he could see them — a painting had been stolen. That painting was well over a thousand years old, and impossibly valuable. It would be impossible to fence without attracting attention. The perpetrator had likely used magic in the theft. Further, a skilled wizard who could cast at least seventh-level Evocation spells had killed one of the few people Angus knew personally who could shed some light on the painting's history, and set a trap for anyone who came looking for them. Then someone had attempted to assassinate Lady Blisk, the very same night that Angus himself had gone to her for an audience. This person was fast, hooded and masked in the disguise of one of Castle Never's servants. They had been well-equipped, using a smoke bomb and grappling hook, and had knowledge of the precise dimensions of the Second Sanctum's anti-magic field. And they had been completely silent, not a word or a breath that might betray the slightest detail of their identity.

Some conclusions were easy to draw; likely this was all the work of a single person, a skilled wizard with previous connections to the Guild of Magi, and odds were good it wasn't for money, given how difficult and expensive a proposition Rocco had made it sound. Others were still open questions; how did they know Mr. Wendell? Why would they kill him? To keep a secret? To stymie the investigation? Purely as a distraction? Was the assassination attempt on Lady Blisk a coincidence, or had they planned to eliminate Angus as well? Or was Angus the target all along?

If this person were militia, they might know the layout of the Museum. They might be able to walk into the Second Sanctum without raising suspicion. They would know Angus, would know where he worked, where he lived, what his schedule and contacts might be.

_If it was her._

Angus had never gotten the feeling she was interested in him before. But then again, he'd always been more than a little oblivious about that sort of thing. If she were looking to turn the screws, get him wound up, distracted—

He took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. _It's not her. It can't be._

_Why? Because you don't want it to be?_

_Because I would know._

Angus shook his head and put his glasses back on. He tried to focus on the reading — the details in the painting had to mean something, the formation of the birds or the shape of the landscape. If the birds formed an arrow, pointing to the lower left of the frame, then the sandy cape curving outward was likely the location of the Door. But where was this? There was precious little land in the painting, only a small strip of road at the bottom, a beach further in the background, the sea stretching featurelessly to the horizon...

_"Silvie's what my friends call me."_

Angus looked out the window. The sun was starting to set. He rested his head on the desk and stared at the handful of clouds rolling across the sky.

_"You don't have to be something you're not."_

He was tired, and he didn't know why. Physically, he'd gotten more sleep in the past few days than he had in a long time. This was different. It was that bone-deep weariness that made you feel like giving up. The sort only caused by stress, or pressure.

Or heartache.

_"You weren't kidding about being lost, huh."_

Angus closed his eyes and, for once in his life, tried not to think about anything.


	17. Interlude III: Judgment

Taako shivered, and looked up from his book. He leaned forward off the log and gently flicked his wrist. The dying embers of the campfire flared to life again. Angus stirred by his side, shifting and digging his bony elbow into Taako's ribs.

"Sorry, hon," he said quietly. "Did I wake you?"

"It's okay," the boy mumbled, dragging a knuckle across his eyes. "Did you sleep?"

"A little."

It wasn't technically a lie — in between poking at his recipe book and plotting out the next day's travel, he had closed his eyes and dozed for a bit. It was like sleep in much the same way that tofurkey was like turkey, which is to say not at all but it let people tell a pleasant lie to themselves.

"Besides, I don't exactly need sleep," Taako said casually, crossing his legs. "Not as much as you, anyway."

Angus hummed in acknowledgment. "Where's Kravitz?"

"He had to skedaddle for a bit," said Taako. "Another little necromantic fire to put out somewhere. He said he'd be back by morning."

And he'd better be, Taako thought as he glared up at the slowly brightening night sky, or else Angus would have to drive the second wagon, thanks to the busted hitch that half-elf sleazebag had sold them back in Armos. The kid could probably manage fine, but Taako would still much rather wait until Angus was older before he got to take control of anything heavier than a bicycle.

He looked back down at the boy and squeezed his shoulder. "How's the book?"

Before they'd left town yesterday, they'd seen a bookstore advertising a brand new _Caleb Cleveland_ novel. Angus had spent the whole day with his nose in it, barely eaten dinner, and fallen asleep with it on his chest.

"Oh," he said, like he just realized it was still there. "I haven't finished it."

"But you like it?"

"I don't know yet," he said with yawn. "The ending's the most important part."

Taako gave him an odd look — there were moments he felt like he'd never understand the kid — then shrugged and turned back to his own book. "How many books are there?"

"Six." Angus grabbed the edge of Taako's cloak and pulled it over himself, snuggling in a little closer. "I read the first one when I was seven."

"Where'd ya get it?" Taako asked conversationally, turning a page.

A beat of silence.

"My parents."

Contrary to what he often enjoyed presenting himself as, Taako wasn't an idiot. The number of times Angus had talked about his parents could be counted on one hand, and then only in the broadest detail. To this day, three years after that bizarre little adventure on the Rockport Limited and two years after a close shave with the apocalypse, Taako still knew next to nothing about Angus's family. He might not have been a detective, but he could smell sadness of one kind or another, and did his best to dance around it.

And now he'd stepped right into it. Fabulous. Great work, Taako, killer job.

Taako closed his book and set it on his lap. He had no idea what to say. Ignoring it was always an option, one he usually defaulted to, but for whatever reason that didn't seem right this time. What else could he do, though? Tell him it was okay? He didn't even know what "it" was, or if it was actually okay to begin with. But he couldn't just sit there with that hanging over their heads all morning, some weird unspoken discomfort that no one acknowledged. Taako hated that shit.

With his arm wrapped around him, he squeezed Angus's shoulder and decided to wing it. "Hey, boychik," he said quietly. "Listen. It's, uh... y'know. I'm..."

"It's alright, sir," Angus said. "We don't have to talk about it."

Taako leaned back and exhaled — thank god, bullet dodged — but when he looked back down at Angus, the distant, forlorn look on his face made him think twice. Maybe they didn't have to talk about it. Maybe Angus didn't even want to talk about it. But while Taako would never push anyone to talk about anything, he knew when he had to say something.

"I didn't have parents."

Angus looked up with wide eyes. Taako reconsidered his words.

"I mean, I had parents," he said casually. "I assume. I just never knew them, is the thing."

This was the first time in years Taako told anyone this, but he kept it casual. It wasn't that big a deal, anyway. What's the point in being upset about something you never had to begin with?

"Had my sister, though," he said with a shrug. "So, not all alone. And we had our aunt, for a while. She was more than enough."

Angus blinked up at him, waited a beat, then asked, "What was she like?"

Taako smirked. "Big, bold, and beautiful. Never let anyone push her around, never did anything she didn't want to do, and never gave a tinker's damn about anything."

Angus grinned. "She sounds great."

Taako looked away, into the slow-burning embers of the campfire. "Yeah," he said with a little nod. "She was alright."

"Is she the one who taught you how to cook?"

Taako snorted and shook Angus's shoulder gently. "Got it in one, Columbo."

"She must have been a great chef," Angus said reverently.

"Well, she didn't teach me everything I know," he said. "Just everything she knew, about everything that mattered."

"Like what?"

"Before—" — _she died_ — "—we were on our own, she did her best to get us ready for the world. Simple advice, mostly; never trust a smile, a free meal, or a limp handshake. Y'know."

Angus nodded. Taako felt something in his heart catch a little as he talked. He ignored it.

"She always said there's no such thing as good people, only a good person. And the only truly good person you'll ever know is yourself, because no one will ever care as much about you as you do."

"That's..." Angus hesitated. "It's awfully cynical, sir."

Taako looked down at him and shrugged. "Never steered me wrong."

"Is that still what you think?"

His immediate instinct was to say yes, of course, obviously. But he didn't. And the longer he went without saying it, the less it felt like the right answer.

Taako smiled a little and ruffled the boy's hair. "Get a little more sleep, huh, Agnes? Long day tomorrow."

Angus stared for a second, then curled back up into his side. Taako let his hand linger in his hair for a moment — _too long, he needs a haircut, wonder if Kravitz would do it_ — then sighed and settled back against the log. He glanced down at the young adult novel by his feet ( _Caleb Cleveland and the Case of the Cursed Calzone_ ) and briefly considered reading it himself. Not that he was super invested in what happened to Caleb after he took that barrel over the waterfall in _Caleb Cleveland and the Case of the Vicious Vineyard_ , but y'know, if it was there—

"My parents taught me a lot of things."

Taako looked down, startled. Angus was staring at the fire.

"They gave me a lot of things too," he said simply, "but the lessons were what mattered the most. They taught me how to read, how to write. How to speak, how to think, how to act properly. Manners and etiquette and... all that stuff."

Taako was very still, and very quiet.

"You know what the most important thing they taught me was?" Angus asked, and before Taako could even think of trying to kill the tension by answering, he continued, "What 'good' was. How to be good. How to do good. How to recognize good in other people. It was really important for everyone, they said, but especially for detectives. Solving mysteries isn't all about book-smarts. It's about judgment."

Angus looked up at Taako. Something in the boy's eyes looked very serious.

"I'm a very good judge of character, sir. And I know that no matter what you think, you're a good person."

Then Angus settled back in, closed his eyes, and yawned again. A few minutes later, he was snoring quietly.

Taako stared at him for a while. He looked down at the book at his feet, around at the two _Sizzle It Up!-_ branded wagons parked by the campsite, and up at the slowly brightening pre-dawn sky. There was a pleasant mist forming in the cool, dewy morning. Taako took a deep breath, settled back, and covered his eyes with his hat.

"Thanks, pumpkin."

* * *

 

Angus woke up and blinked blearily as he lifted his head off the desk and adjusted his glasses. It was dark outside, and the soft alchemical lights of the library were too bright. Then, in the half-lucid state of drowsiness that comes after too long a nap, he had a thought. Idle at first, it slowly crystalized into a full-blown revelation.

He shot up in his seat. He was so stupid. How could he have forgotten to ask?

Angus grabbed the art history book containing the picture of _Flight of the Flying V_ and raced out of the library. He practically sprinted all the way home, leaping up the stairs and bursting into his own apartment.

"Taako?!" he called out.

No immediate answer. Angus ran to his bedroom, and found the Pocket Spa set up. He threw aside the cloth flap and ran inside. Taako was on one of the loungers, in a terrycloth robe and bunny slippers, a fashion magazine laying over his face. Angus rushed over and shook him awake. Taako took this less than kindly, thrashing about briefly and kicking his legs.

"Taako, it's me!"

He tore the magazine off his face. His expression softened from anger to confusion. "Agnes?"

"What color was the Hand?"

"What?"

"The color!" Angus shook his shoulders. "When she cast Bigby's Hand, what color was it?"

Taako told him, and Angus nearly fell to his knees. He looked down, eyes flickering, staring at nothing, working it out in his head... and it fit. All of it. He looked up at Taako, who stared at him with that cocked eyebrow that said he was being especially weird, and Angus realized he was grinning like a maniac.

"I know who did it."


	18. Mismatched Motivations

"You're telling me the butler did it."

"Secretary," Angus corrected, pacing the length of the room. "God, how did I not see it sooner?"

They were in the kitchen. After Angus had delivered his dramatic scene-closing line, he'd turned right around and sprinted out of the building, shouting something about being right back. Taako had taken the opportunity to get semi-dressed and step out to make some tea. He assumed when the kid came back, he'd be getting a full-on parlor scene, and he wanted to be prepared. Angus had gotten back before the water had even come to a boil, heaving breaths like he'd just run a marathon, and got right to business.

"I mean, I'll admit, the guy seemed like a schmuck," Taako said casually, "but seems like a real thin case you got, boychik."

"It fits," Angus insisted. "It fits just as much as it did for her. Better! Gav is a wizard, I've seen him use magic when he cleans the office."

"Yeah, saw him cast Mage Hand. Looked like second nature." Taako frowned disdainfully. "Did seem awful flashy for a guy in the service industry."

"And his Hand is gold," Angus prompted. "Whereas Silvia's—"

"Is red, I know," Taako said, waving him on. "I remember the wagon, despite it being the weakest near-death experience I've had this past week."

"And Gavin would know everything!" Angus said, resuming his pacing. "He'd know what my routine was, what appointments I had, what contacts I went to... he'd know about Mr. Wendell, about Silvia, about my progress on the case—"

"Whoa whoa whoa," Taako said, holding up a hand. "How would he know about this whole Door-Key-Sammykind business?"

Angus stopped in his tracks. He worried at his chin with thumb and forefinger. "If he was a member of the Guild at one point, he would have known about it. Blisk said as much when we spoke to her."

Taako sneered. "Jeezy creezy, my dude, don't you run background checks or something?"

"I did!" Angus said, turning around. "I didn't find anything! No Guild membership, no past crimes, nothing! But if he's capable of all this, it only follows that he'd be careful enough to cover his tracks!"

The kettle began to whistle. Taako stood up from his seat and shut off the burner. Angus fetched a pair of teacups and saucers.

"Now, again," Taako said, pouring a much larger cup for himself. "All this is because the Hand was yellow."

"You saw it," Angus said pointedly. "Not me. What color was it?"

Taako frowned, picked up his cup and took a swig, then frowned harder and reached for the honey. When he finished stirring it in and looked back at Angus, he was staring at him intently.

"You asked me why the culprit would impersonate Silvia," he said. "I'm giving you your answer."

With a heavy sigh, Taako took another sip of his tea. Sickly sweet, just like he liked it.

"Alright, boychik," he said reluctantly. "If all this is true, go tell the militia and have them pop over and nick the pompous little shit. Then we're donezo, right?"

"I already did," Angus said. "But I couldn't get a message directly to the Lord-Commander. Probably because of you, honestly."

Taako shrugged. "Yeah, I'll own that."

"But I wrote it all out. Everything I had. Problem is, it'll take days for them to corroborate, and by then it'll be too late."

"Too late?"

Angus nodded. "This is all happening very fast. Gavin's been planning this for a long time, and I think everything that's happened — the attempt on Lady Blisk's life, the murder of Mr. Wendell — whatever other goals he might have had, the primary one was to buy himself enough time to figure out the nature of the Key and where the Door was."

"And what makes you think he has?"

"Because I did," Angus said simply. "Last night."

Taako blew out a breath as he sat down at the table again. "Well, we're certainly in the shit now. Keep going."

Angus ceased his pacing and sat down across from Taako, eager to explain. "I figured the painting had to have some clue as to the nature of the Door—"

"Well, duh."

"—so I did my research. _Flight of the Flying V_ has very little proper landscape in it, but what there is, is significant. There's a cape stretching out, in a rather unique shape for the Sword Coast. If you trace the birds' formation and follow the lines to the point where they converge, it's on the very tip of the cape. That's one piece. The other is road marker near the bottom of the painting, almost out of frame. It's got something carved on it, and at first I thought it was a mile marker, but it's not."

Angus opened up one of the books he brought back and turned it towards Taako. An exact drawing of the painting in question covered an entire page.

"This was painted a thousand years ago. Back then, they didn't measure using miles. They used leagues. And the number itself is hard to discern because it's not written using a modern numeral, but one associated with Old Common, something they called Kingspeech."

Angus pointed to the rock at the bottom.

"This reads 'twenty-three.' Which means twenty-three leagues away from the city which placed the marker there. And since this is along the Sword Coast, there are only a handful of cities that could correspond to, and at the time it was painted, only one which would have had the power and influence to pave and mark roads more than twenty-three leagues from itself."

"Neverwinter," Taako said, resting his chin on his hand. "What else would it be?"

"So," Angus explained, turning the book back around and flipping through the pages, "I cross-referenced locations twenty-three leagues north and south of Neverwinter, using maps from multiple periods in order to take into account the difference in sea level and coastal erosion that was likely to occur over a thousand years—"

Taako yawned, loudly. Angus found the page he was looking for and turned the book back around. A map was present, old and archaic, with a drawing of a sea monster in the ocean and the city of "Neverwyntre" at the center. Angus jabbed a finger at a spot north along the coast.

"Here," he said. "That's where the Door is."

Taako leaned forward and peered at it. "You're sure?"

"As sure as I can be, sir."

"So pretty sure," Taako mumbled.

"We'll need to hurry if we want to get there in time."

Taako's eyes widened. "Whoa, now, wait a minute, kiddo—"

"Sir, we can't just let him get away with this!" Angus said emphatically.

"Yeah, but, I mean, you solved the mystery. Job over. Hand it over to the militia and let them and Lady Badass worry about this."

"I already told you, she wouldn't see me! By the time they figure out I'm right, Gavin will have cleared out Samulkyn's vault of every single ultra-dangerous magical artifact they ever acquired! Who knows what he'll do with them!"

"That's not on you, Agnes," Taako said firmly.

Angus glared at him. He wasn't angry, though; more like intense. Determined. Taako recognized that look; it was the same one Angus had when he told him and Kravitz he was leaving to go to the University. It said there was no arguing, that this was happening, and the conversation they were having was merely a courtesy.

"I'm not asking you to come with, sir," Angus said, making things absolutely clear. "I'm only telling you I'm going."

Taako rested his elbows on the table and his face in his hands. If that fire trap had spooked him, the fight with Not-Silvia had left him shaking. The image of Angus lying prone on the floor, bloodied and still, hadn't left his head no matter how much he tried to force it out; he'd nearly busted out his sleep sack again, fearing night terrors.

 _You had to get involved, didn't you,_ said the traitorous little voice in the back of his head.

_Oh, eat a dick, asshole._

With a defeated sigh, Taako raised his head. "Alright, alright," he said reluctantly. "Just let me get my shit together, yeah?"

Angus smiled, satisfied. He stood from his chair. "Try and hurry, okay? I don't know how long it'll take us to get there."

The boy went over to grab his coat and hat while Taako stepped back into the bedroom. He went to the pocket spa and dug in his luggage for his more practical duds — his Ring of Frost, Arcane Trickster's Glove, even the Wand of Switcheroo. Things he hadn't needed, hoped he would never have to use again, but which he kept around anyway because that's the sort of person Taako was. He even put on his oldest wizard hat, the one with the bent point he'd worn back in Phandalin, because why not? He strapped Carey's knife to his back, tied a very particular bag of holding to his belt, collected the ritual components he'd bought the other day, and picked up his Umbra Staff.

Taako peeked out of the spa. The bedroom was empty. He stepped out and headed towards Angus' closet, hoping the kid wouldn't choose that moment to step in or he'd have to come up with some horseshit explanation real fast. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. His darkvision let him see the handful of jackets, two spare pairs of shoes, and a small wooden chest in the corner.

_Tiny. Good. Got more than enough._

He nodded to himself and pulled out his knife, then kneeled down and started carving. Taako was neither the world's greatest wizard, nor its most skilled carpenter, but he was good enough at both to manage a quick ritual or two.

Taako finished just in time — Angus was about to come looking for him. They left quickly, and Taako conjured a Phantom Steed to ferry them to their destination.

"'Sup, dudes," Garyl said with a nod. "Where we goin'?"

"North, my guy," Taako said as he climbed onto Garyl's back and helped Angus up. "Fast."

"How fast?"

"Furious."

Garyl nodded stoically. "Hell yeah."

* * *

 

Garyl had been as chill as ever in a stark contrast to Angus' nervous energy as they raced northward. It took them over two hours to make it the eighty miles, and as they crested over a grassy hill along the coast, Taako brought Garyl to a stop.

"Well, shit."

There was no cape anymore. But out on the water, sitting just above it, was a thin, glowing rectangle.

"The Door," said Angus. "He opened it."

They climbed off Garyl and Taako dispelled him with a pat on the flank.

"Guess this is it," Taako said flatly. "End of the line. Final countdown. Et cetera."

"Yep." Angus adjusted the cap on his head. "Ready?"

Taako looked at him. "You do shit like this often?"

Angus blinked. "Uh, not this, specifically. Why?"

He shrugged. "You make it seem easy."

The boy looked confused, but he glanced away with a bashful little smile. "I mean, helping save the world that one time probably helps. I'm not—"

Taako reached out and pulled him into a tight hug. Angus froze in the same uncertain way he used to when he was eleven.

"I'm proud of you, kiddo," Taako said quietly. "Even though I got no right to be."

Angus brought his hands up to hug Taako back. His voice cracked slightly. "Sir—"

"I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Angus said as Taako slipped his hand into the boy's jacket pocket.

"Yeah there is," he said simply. "I really hope you can forgive me one day."

Before the boy could respond, Taako pulled away, palming his farspeech stone. His face was flat and impassive as he stepped backward. He took one last breath, then raised his umbrella.

"Sayonara, Angus."

Taako saw the precise moment that Angus realized what has happening — his eyes widened, his expression turned to shock, and he started forward, hands out, opening his mouth to shout.

"You stupid—!"

He poked him in the chest, and Angus vanished.

Taako was alone.

A gust of wind swept across the hill. Taako's cloak billowed out as the waves below crashed against the shore. He turned and looked back towards Neverwinter.

The little voice was telling him to run again. Go away and let this be someone else's problem. The boy was out of danger. That was the only thing that really mattered. Who cared if this dipshit got a bunch of magic artifacts? What stake did Taako have in that? None whatsoever.

And yet.

With a long-suffering sigh, Taako shouldered his umbrella and marched forward.

_The things I do for people._

* * *

 

Taako Water Walked to the Door. Its edge glowed with power, framing it in a bright white light. The sea was high enough that he had to step down to reach the floor, and as he crossed the threshold, the roar of the ocean disappeared. Though the water was nearly a foot higher, it was denied entry by some unseen force.

The inside of the space — wherever it was, some pocket dimension probably — was spherical, and constructed of a cobalt-colored stone. Patterns were carved into the walls in what looked like stars and constellations; bright glowing lines connected shining gems embedded in countless intricate patterns.

Taako scratched his nose. "Huh. Neat."

He stepped towards the center of the room, and as he did, a glowing circle appeared beneath his feet. Runes he'd never seen before flashed into existence, spreading outward to encompass the floor, and with a quiet grinding noise, it began to descend. Taako rested his hands on his umbrella and tapped his foot as he glided past countless false stars.

_What is it with people like this and elevators?_

The platform decelerated, runes disappearing in sequence as it settled into the floor beneath. A single tall corridor of the same cobalt stone lay ahead of him, lined with softly glowing lamps. He marched forward, swinging his umbrella and whistling idly as he passed by paintings hung on either side — landscapes, mostly, with the occasional battle scene, and one particularly abstract representation of a cloaked and hooded figure in a forest. Ahead was a doorway, arched and pointed. The room beyond was large, with four wide stone pillars holding up a vaulted ceiling, and a massive glowing stone ensconced in a metal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Taako stepped inside, and even with his limited perception, the arcana permeating the air nearly knocked him on his heels. It was like stepping into a particularly humid sauna, if it was a magic sauna that could probably kill you.

Items of every description lined the walls; weapons from across the world, in ancient styles long forgotten; shining armor so ornate it could serve no practical purpose; colossal spellbooks the size of a dwarf, bound in dragonhide and embossed with gold; even simple things like letter openers, silverware, candles and inkpots seemed to radiate with a palpable energy. All of it, unseen by any living being for over a millennia, save for Taako and the sole other occupant of the room.

Kneeling on the floor, pulling tomes off a shelf and flipping through them before stuffing them into a large burlap sack, was Silvia. Taako stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled to get her attention. She spun and drew her wand; its tip glowed a bright golden color.

"You can ditch the disguise, bocephus," Taako said plainly. "The kid already figured you out."

She stood slowly, not taking her eyes off him. After a long moment, she smiled very slightly. Then, with a pass of her hand over her face, she was gone.

"I'm surprised," Gavin said, brushing off his dark vest. "I really thought the boy would pursue her more thoroughly."

Taako shrugged and glanced away, unconcerned. "Yeah, well, wouldn't be the first time someone underestimated the little shit."

Gavin leaned to look past Taako. "Where is he, then?"

"Oh, he's not here. It's just me, bub."

"Sorry?" Gavin said, smirking condescendingly. "You? Alone?"

Taako raised his eyebrows, matching his tone. "Did I stutter?"

"Why? Are you arrogant enough to think you could beat me, get away with all this treasure?" Gavin gestured behind him. "Take it. Take all you want. I don't care."

Taako glanced around and sniffed dismissively. "It ain't about the treasure, my dude."

"Of course it's not. This is about something bigger than both of us." Gavin paced forward a few steps, wand still at the ready, other arm waving theatrically. "The fools in the Guild want to control magic. They fear not its power, but its proliferation. The spread of it to everyone with a means and a will. That sad old woman and her desperate desire to emulate the mistakes of Samulkyn is all a facade, a ruse meant to obscure her desire to maintain power and control over the masses—"

"Blah blah blah blah _blah,_ " Taako said, rolling his head along with his eyes. "God, you love the sound of your own voice. I mean, I can relate, but rein it in a little, huh?"

Gavin stared at him. His arm fell limp at his side, and he frowned. "You don't care at all, do you."

"About what?"

"Why I'm doing this!" he said, exasperated. "My entire motivation for this act of rebellion against the system that I've been planning for years!"

"Oh." Taako shook his head. "Yeah, no."

Gavin closed his eyes and sighed a long-suffering sigh. "I really don't like you."

"Feeling's mutual, homie. Now are we gonna fight or what?"

"Again I ask: why?" He rested a hand on one hip. "If you don't even care about any of this, why am I forced to waste my time exterminating you?"

Taako spun his umbrella, bored. "Nothing special. You wanna hear it?"

"Yes." Gavin turned his nose up. "Unlike some people, I actually care about others' motivations."

"Yeah, that's sweet," Taako said dismissively, reaching up and taking off his hat. "Well, it's real simple actually. I'm not like Angus. In all sorts of ways, actually, but one in particular: I'm no idealist. That ain't Taako, mos def. But one thing Taako definitely is, is vindictive."

"Is this about when I beat you?" Gavin asked with a superior smile across his face. "Because I don't see this going any differently."

Taako shook his head. "Nah, that ain't it. Some of my best friends have kicked my ass before! I'm not one to hold a grudge."

"You literally just said you were vindictive."

"Sorry?" Taako cocked an eyebrow and leaned forward disapprovingly. "Is it my turn to talk or what?"

Gavin looked up at the ceiling in exasperation. Taako took off his hat and set it on the floor, patting it tenderly, and continued.

"Look, I know I'm kind of a shitty wizard. No, no, don't object! I'm willing to stand in my truth here."

Taako drew his cloak aside and unclasped it, folding it carefully and setting it beside his hat.

"I don't know how many spells you've got, how big they are, how much stronger they are. Hell, in a stand-up fight, I don't know if I could take you."

Taako unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and rolled up his sleeves.

"But I do know one thing. The only thing I need to know."

Taako rolled his head on his shoulders, brushed his finger across his nose, and raised his Umbra Staff, point forward.

"You hurt my boy," he said flatly. "I'ma fuck you up."

And with a sharp jab forward, Taako cast Disintegrate.


	19. Taako's Revenge

The beam shot forward, flaking particles of light behind it. Gavin raised his hand, and the spell splintered and spiderwebbed; the air warped briefly as his Wall of Force shattered.

Taako was already moving, sprinting the perimeter of the room. He swung his staff madly, firing magic missiles by the dozen. They spun and flew drunkenly in Gavin's direction.

_Keep moving, keep him off balance._

Gavin swung his wand around and a shimmering field cast itself between him and the missiles. They bounced off harmlessly, trailing into wisps of light and smoke as Taako rounded a pillar and charged straight towards him. He opened his umbrella in time to catch a pair of Scorching Rays, then fired a spray of color from its tip and slid across the floor, trying to kick out one of Gavin's knees. He caught nothing but air. As Taako peeked around the edge of the umbrella, he saw Gavin floating above. With a smirk, Gavin lowered his wand, and an arrow of acid green shot down towards him.

_Nope._

Taako Blinked. In the shadowy glow of the ethereal plane, he had six seconds to plan his next move. So far, keeping him off balance was working about as well as he'd thought it would. What else did he have?

_Disintegrate was my sixth-level, that's the big one gone. What else? No more first level, burned all those. Took one third level to get here. Could stretch and cast something at seventh, maybe eighth if I didn't mind it blowing up in my face._

Taako scrabbled to his feet and to the opposite side of the room. Two seconds left.

_Is he using Fly or Levitate? Ah, fuck it, who cares._

As he popped back into the material plane, Taako flicked his hand back and forth and kicked off the floor. Gavin had moved further towards the center of the room, hovering in midair, spinning around trying to find him. He saw Taako flying towards him a second too late, and with a wicked grin, Taako cast Stoneskin.

Taako barely felt the collision, but Gavin made a very satisfying noise as he drove his shoulder into his stomach. They flew through the air, straight towards one of the columns. Taako didn't slow down. They bounced off, hard — the impact sent a crack through one of Taako's stony forearms, which hurt like all fuck — and wrestled with each other as they careened through the air.

Gavin was trying to fight his way free, and Taako was doing his best to keep hold, all the while driving his fist, his elbow, his knee, even his head into every soft spot he could. He was no fighter, but he knew from personal experience where it hurt to get punched.

After Taako landed a particularly meaty headbutt, Gavin snarled and pressed Burning Hands to Taako's face. Even through the stone, it hurt; Taako shrieked and kicked Gavin away. Tears stung his eyes, and he barely reacted in time to block another Scorching Ray with his umbrella. He flew to the side, circling, spiraling inward to close the distance, while Gavin started in the opposite direction. He threw out a hand, and a haze of force surrounded it, extending to the length of a broadsword. He swung hard, and Taako, without thinking, brought up his umbrella to block it.

It did. Cleanly.

The look on Gavin's face was almost worth all this trouble.

Taako grinned viciously and ran his hand over the Umbra Staff. It began to glow as Magic Weapon took hold, and he swung it hard at Gavin's head.

The next thirty seconds were a blur, full of hard blocks and wide swings and poorly-timed parries as a midair melee raged between two wizards who had never swung anything sword-shaped in their lives. Taako refused to give ground, dodging above and below rather than side to side, keeping the pressure on. Gavin was forced to retreat, to his obvious frustration, and with every furious snarl, Taako laughed and taunted.

"What's the matter, dipshit?" he said, as they locked weapons near the chandelier. "Thought you were supposed to be a badass!"

"Be quiet!" Gavin shouted as Taako kicked away.

"Is it performance anxiety? Because I hear they've got pills for that now!"

Gavin bellowed as he swung his blade of force, double-handed. Taako dived below, and the blade caught the chandelier's chain, cleaving it cleanly in two. With no time to react, Taako could only watch, as if in slow motion, as the glowing chandelier descended fast towards his face.

_Well, shit._

One of the arms clipped him in the jaw, and sent him tumbling ass over teakettle towards the ground. He felt his umbrella fly from his hand, felt his air control disappear, and as he landed hard on the stone floor, his stone skin shatter and dispel. If he hadn't had it on to begin with, that might have been all she wrote; as it was, his rock-hard head had managed to preserve his consciousness. He quickly rolled onto all fours, scrabbling for his staff as he tried to shake the stars from his eyes.

"Looking for this?"

Taako spun. Gavin was standing by the door, hair pulled free from its ponytail and blood dripping from one nostril. He was holding his wand and standing with one foot on Taako's Umbra Staff.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, condescending and half-curious. "This is far too powerful a thing for you to have acquired in any legitimate fashion, let alone made yourself."

"Smug prick," Taako grumbled, pushing himself onto unsteady feet.

"Sorry? Didn't catch that."

"I said give it to me and I'll tell you." He wiped a bit of blood from his mouth and spat red onto the floor. "Right after I shove it up your ass and open it."

Gavin was unamused. "You really are very rude," he said flatly. "Have I not earned the slightest bit of professional respect? Can we not simply duel as equals, the way the old magi did?"

Taako blew a raspberry and flipped him off with both hands. Gavin's disapproving frown became a full-blown scowl.

"Fine," he growled. "I was growing bored anyway."

He kicked the umbrella behind him, into the hallway. Taako almost tried to Mage Hand it, but it wouldn't have done any good. He was stuck. His only hope was the thing in his pocket, and he had to wait for the perfect moment to use it, or it would only get him killed.

"You are a vain, ignorant, cruel little wretch," Gavin said, raising his wand, "and you have driven me to such lengths. I can only hope you receive an appropriate torment in the afterlife."

"Holy fuck, my dude," Taako said with a roll of his eyes. "Just kill me already."

A corner of Gavin's mouth twitched. "With pleasure."

The wand glowed yellow. Taako waited — _one shot, one chance, don't screw it up_ — and as he saw the Fireball gather at the tip, his hand darted to his pocket.

"Goodbye," Gavin shouted over the growing roar of the flames, "and good riddance!"

The ball fired forward. Taako saw it rushing towards him, felt the heat wash over his face from a dozen feet away. He raised his trump card, and fired.

Space shifted and warped, Taako's stomach turned a hundred eighty degrees, and in an instant, he was elsewhere. Taako saw the fireball rushing away from him, towards Gavin, now standing by the fallen chandelier. His eyes were so wide, Taako could see the whites from where he stood, and his mouth dropped open in absolute disbelief just before the fireball hit.

Taako brought his arm up to shield his eyes from the flare of the explosion. It shook dust from the ceiling and sent white-hot embers flying in every direction. When he brought his arm down, the only thing he could see at the center of the roaring blaze were the twisted remains of the fallen chandelier.

With a gleeful cackle, Taako holstered the Wand of Switcheroo, then reached behind him and Mage Handed his umbrella back into his hand. He shouldered it like a crossbrow, sighted down its length, and said:

" _Vaya con dios._ "

He fired a fireball of his own. The second explosion was as big as the first, and at its epicenter, the chandelier began to wilt like a dying flower. Taako turned on his heel and took a bow. When he rose, he was grinning ear to ear.

"I just killed someone with his own fucking spell!" he shouted at no one, arms outstretched. "What's up?!"

Taako casually turned around in time to see a flickering silhouette stalk forward out of the fire. Before he could react, a spray of cold water hit him in the face. The force of it knocked him back and he landed flat on his ass, and it ended just as he got his umbrella open. Taako pushed himself to his feet, peeking around the shield of his Umbra Staff.

Gavin stood, lightly singed but alive, half his body still in the process of flickering back from the ethereal plane. He jabbed his wand forward and a bolt of raw lightning shot out with a blast of thunder following.

There was no blocking it; Taako felt the bolt shoot past the umbrella, up his arms and clean through his chest. The pain was sharp, searing, and short, and for a brief moment as he fell, Taako felt his heart stop. As he landed on his back, head cracking against wet stone, it jolted back into life again. Part of him wished it hadn't.

"I am tired," Gavin said slowly, "of your continued persistence in the face of your better."

Taako hacked and choked as he tried to inhale. His muscles were still half-seized, and he rolled onto his side, trying to push himself up and only succeeding in curling up further. His chest felt like it was on fire.

"I am not a cruel man, by nature. But you pushed, and you pushed, and you wouldn't stop. And now that I have you here, I find myself wondering if I shouldn't make this last."

_Staff. Still have the staff. Use the staff._

_For what?_

"Perhaps that would make me no better than you. I imagine you enjoyed tearing the wings off flies, as a child." Gavin kicked him in the back and Taako let out a shrill cry. "Your mother should have smothered you in the crib. It would have spared us both this misery."

_The backup plan._

Taako whimpered into a sob. _Doesn't matter if I can't stand._

_Then stand, you piece of shit._

"Yes," Gavin said, stalking away. "A quick death. The moral high ground. That's what this requires."

Taako rolled onto all fours, umbrella handle clutched tight in his hand. His muscles began to relax as the residual shock wore off, and he managed to make it to one knee, half turned towards Gavin.

"Goodbye, good riddance, and so on," Gavin said, turning back and holding up his wand. Its tip glowed gold — _how much high-level shit can this asshole still cast?_ — and just before he fired, Taako raised his staff.

Gavin jabbed his wand forward, and the light fizzled out. He looked down, aghast, then jabbed it again. Nothing.

Taako pushed himself to his feet, hearing nothing but the blood rushing through his ears and the air heaving in his lungs. He rolled his neck on his shoulders and shook his head to clear the cobwebs. Gavin shouted a loud curse at Taako, and when nothing came out, he stuck his wand in his belt and reached behind his back. He pulled out a short sword — didn't look like anything fancy, but might have had an enchantment or two on it — and stalked forward.

Even beat to shit and on his last legs, Taako couldn't help but grin. He held out a hand, palm out, and Gavin actually stopped in his tracks, curious. Taako pointed at the sword, then made a small space between his thumb and forefinger and shook his head. Then stuck his umbrella in his belt, pulled the bag of holding from his hip, and with a magician's flourish, stuck his arm deep inside it.

Once again, the look on Gavin's face as he withdrew his weapon almost made all the pain worth it.

Taako had to pull the tiny bag off the end of the blade, careful to avoid the poisonous scorpion stinger at its tip. He cast it aside and held the sword out at his side, scraping the wall of the hallway with its massive length. Taako admired it for a moment — it had always been his favorite piece of statement jewelry — and when he turned back to Gavin, he saw him cursing again. Upset beyond the capacity for anger, he was almost petulant as he shouted three words into the silent void Taako had conjured, and which could easily be read on his lips: _it's not fair._

 _Tough shit,_ Taako retorted silently. _Deal with it, dickweed._

With his forearm, Taako flicked the flywheel embedded in the sword's hilt. The blade caught instantly.

_Well, backup plan is a go. Now what?_

He stepped forward, and grinned as Gavin retreated several steps back.

_WWMBD, I guess._

Taako raised the Flaming Poisoning Raging Sword of Doom, and rushed in.


	20. Resolve

"—bastard!"

Angus stumbled forward, felt his stomach shift, and nearly threw up between his shoes. It was dark where he was, but his eyes adjusted quickly, and as he took deep breaths with his hands on his knees, the scene quickly became familiar.

He was in his bedroom closet.

"Stupid, stupid, asshole son of a—" Angus turned and grabbed the doorknob, expecting it to turn.

It didn't.

He tried it again. It wouldn't move. He tried both hands, turned it as hard as he could. Then he reared back and drove his shoulder into the door. It didn't budge.

"Damn it!" he cursed, pulling out his wand and pointing it at the handle. "Taako, I swear I'll—"

Nothing happened.

Angus' blood went cold. He flicked his wrist again, tried to cast Knock. Again, nothing.

"No." He shook his head. "No no no—"

He looked down at the floor, got to his knees and felt along the edge. Sure enough, there they were; crude runes carefully carved all along the perimeter of the closet. Angus felt them beneath his fingers, remembered the shapes and forms: _magic, entropy,_ and _shield,_ over and over again.

Angus slammed his fists into the floor. "No!" he shouted.

He scrambled to his feet, backed up as far as he could and started kicking the door. _Aim next to the handle, wood is weakest there, all you need to do is break it_ —

"No!" he shouted with every kick. "No! No! No!"

Nothing.

_Hinges, find the hinges, if you can take off the hinges—_

They were on the other side.

"Fuck!" Angus shouted, driving his shoulder into the door again. "Come on!"

Useless. He couldn't get the force he needed without a running start. Angus put his back against the wall and raised his foot, pressed against the door and pushed as hard as he could. Then he raised his other leg and pressed with both, back hard against the wooden wall.

"Come on!" he hissed out through clenched teeth. "Come on...!"

Angus felt something twinge in his knees and dropped to the floor, landing on his tailbone with a yelp.

_Get up, get up, you've got to keep at it, you've got to get out—_

He felt tears stinging his eyes, and he took off his glasses and pressed his hands to his eyes.

_Stop crying, get up, get out, you've got to stop him—_

"I can't," he whispered. "I can't."

_He'll die if you don't._

Angus wiped his eyes beneath his glasses. He slammed his fist against his thigh, and shouted into the dark, "Why?!"

_Because he loves you._

Angus dropped his glasses to the floor and cried the way he hadn't cried in years, wracking sobs until he couldn't breathe. He dropped his hands from his face and leaned back against the wall.

_You can't give up. He can't have thought of everything, it's Taako._

He shut his eyes and clenched his jaw.

_Door's magically locked. I can't cast magic. What else is there?_

He focused on his breathing, concentrating on slowing each breath. Gradually, his head cleared.

_You're not a wizard. You're a detective. Act like it._

Angus checked his pockets. He had little to work with. His set of lockpicks wouldn't do him any good against a magical lock. His crossbow wasn't strong enough to punch through more than an inch of oak. The blackjack he kept strapped to his back wouldn't be able to break through, and he didn't have a blade or anything to light a fire if he was that desperate. He was surprised to find his Farspeech stone was gone — no, of course it was, Taako would have lifted it when they'd hugged and Angus had been too emotional to notice. His notebook was gone too; that had been stolen the day before, when Gavin had knocked him out in that warehouse. Not that it mattered. Who could get to him in time who also had a piece of his—

_Silvia._

Angus threw himself towards the wooden chest in the corner, praying Taako hadn't thought to lock that too. He hadn't. Angus nearly shouted with joy as he pulled out the large hardbacked tome that he'd enchanted as the archive for his notes.

He had to find the right page: the one corresponding to the piece he'd torn out and given to Silvia. If he wrote on that page, she should see it. Feel it, even, if she still carried the scrap of enchanted parchment on her. If he could find it in the mess of notes he'd taken... he'd had this archive going for years now, but it was sorted by date. If he kept flipping towards the back—

There. There it was. A thin faded strip in the middle, showing the tear in the page. The top half would be Silvia's. Angus pulled out his pen and wrote the simplest, most succinct message he could.

 

_Need your help_

_Come to apartment ASAP_

_Matter of life and death_

— _Angus_

 

Angus pulled away, regarded the message, and realized he had no idea if she'd get it in time. He leaned down to write another note.

 

_Mark this page when you read this_

 

Now all Angus could do was stare at his note, pray to anyone who might be listening, and wait.

He didn't have to wait long.

 

_on my way_

 

As soon as he saw Silvia's messy scrawl write itself onto the page, Angus felt a pressure give way in his chest, only to be replaced by a buzz of anxiety. He stood and gathered his things, then pressed his ear to the door, straining to hear.

There was a loud banging at his front door.

"Silvia!" he shouted.

"Angus?!"

"I'm trapped!" he shouted. "The spare key's above the—"

There was a loud bang, and the sound of a door slamming open. Angus huffed a small sigh.

"Where are you?" Silvia shouted.

"In here!" he yelled back. "The bedroom closet!"

"What?"

"There's an antimage circle in here! I can't cast Knock!"

There was a gentle pulse of red light along the door's edge. Angus tried the knob, and it turned. He opened the door to find Silvia standing there, wand out, looking worried.

"Angus, what's—"

He rushed forward and hugged her. She froze, startled, and he pulled away, hands on her shoulders.

"Taako's gone."

"Sorry?"

"He's gone," Angus repeated, faster. "We left together to try and stop him, but he ported me back here. We need to hurry!"

"Angus." Silvia raised her hands and gripped his biceps. "Slow. Down. What's happening?"

Angus took a deep breath. "I know who did it."

"Did what?"

"Took the painting. Killed Mr. Wendell. Tried to kill Lady Blisk."

"Tried to—?" Silvia's eyes widened. "The assassination attempt? It's all anyone's been working all day. How'd you get involved?"

He opened his mouth to explain further, then shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Just listen. It was Gavin, okay? He's the one responsible. He's well on his way to stealing an entire vault of powerful magical artifacts, and we have to stop him."

"I am barely following you," Silvia said, stepping away, "but I don't need to. Let's go."

As they left Angus' apartment and rushed out into the courtyard, he turned to Silvia.

"You can't come with."

Silvia glared at him in disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"You have to get the militia," he said. "Gavin isn't a joke, he can cast at least seventh-level Evocation, probably eighth, and gods only know what power those artifacts will give him."

"Angus, if you think I'm letting you run off alone—"

"Does anyone in the militia know port magic?"

Silvia stopped short, stumbled over her words. "The — my captain knows port magic, but—"

"I gave my evidence to the Lord-Commander's steward. She'll have it. That should give your captain everything he needs for the destination."

"Where are you going?"

Angus flicked his wrist out and summoned the only thing he could think of that would get him to the door fast enough.

"'Sup, homie," Garyl said as he materialized into existence. "This is a little weird, you know that, right?"

"I'm in a hurry," Angus said, climbing astride his Phantom Steed. "I don't have the time to be original."

"Angus!"

He looked down at Silvia. Her face was a mix of all kinds of emotions; confusion, anger, and worry chief among them.

"This sucks," she said flatly. "You know that, right?"

Angus nodded, gathering up two glowing reins in his hands. "I'm sorry. But I won't risk Gavin getting away with this."

"And I just get to watch you ride off alone. After Taako just did the same to you."

"I can't lose him!"

Angus shouted without meaning to. Silvia clenched her jaw. Angus looked away, down the street.

"I won't. Not without a fight."

Garyl shuffled nervously, pawing at the ground. Silvia stepped back, onto the sidewalk.

"I'll bring backup."

Angus took a breath, exhaled. He thought about saying goodbye, but he found he didn't want to.

"Bring healers," he said instead, tightening his grip on the reins. "Bring everyone you can."

He kicked Garyl's sides. The spectral binicorn reared up and his hind legs and pawed the air.

"Hell yeah!" Garyl shouted in his baritone. Then he took off at a full-tilt gallop down the street.

There was an intersection ahead. Straight would take them into the front window of an old art studio. They didn't slow down.

"We need to go a whole lot faster!" Angus shouted.

Garyl barked out a laugh. "You got it, boss!"

Silver wings with shimmering feathers erupted from Garyl's sides, extending to their full length. Angus pulled back on the reins, and Garyl rose, hooves clip-clopping against the side of the building as they sprinted up the side, past the roof and into the sky. Down below, Angus saw a magical flare fly up from in front of his apartment building; blue with red sparks.

Backup requested.

Angus spurred Garyl, and they turned north, towards the coast, towards the Door, towards Taako and Gavin and the end of this case.

He only hoped he wasn't too late.


	21. Fall of a Flip Wizard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains description of serious physical injury. Forewarned is forearmed.

Taako decided, not for the first time in his life and likely not the last, that Magnus Burnsides was a god damn idiot.

He'd spent the last five minutes chasing after Gavin with that big stupid sword weighing him down, swinging it as best he could and hitting nothing but air. Of course, the beauty of this particular weapon was that Taako only needed to hit once, but that didn't help him much in his present circumstances.

Gavin, as it turned out, was quick. Quick, and a little smarter than Taako gave him credit for. He'd worked out the two fundamental flaws in Taako's backup plan; one was that the void of Silence Taako had cast was centered on him, and as long as he stuck close (but not too close) Taako couldn't cast any spells either. The other, far more important thing, was that Silence only lasted for a maximum of ten minutes. Any longer, and Taako risked straining himself into unconsciousness.

And Taako was already straining himself — his mimicry of the Burnsides battle strategy had burned what little energy he had left, and he was running on fumes. It was hard enough to keep his concentration on the spell, let alone on splitting Gavin's skull.

Taako paused, panting for breath after another failed swing, and glared daggers at the orc. His hair was a mess, his makeup ruined, and he was likely about to go to his grave doing the one thing he thought he'd never do — swinging a sword like a dullard.

_When I die, I swear to god I'm haunting Magnus Burnsides for the rest of his natural life._

Gavin smiled, and Taako spit onto the floor and rushed forward again. One swing, two, spin and a third. All missed.

 _How long has it been? Seven minutes? Eight?_ Taako heaved the sword back up and felt sweat drip down from his brow. _Rat bastard knows I'm short on time. Have to end this fast._

Taako decided to play to his strengths; he widened his eyes, looked past Gavin, smiled and waved.

The dumb son of a bitch actually looked over his shoulder.

With a grin, Taako rushed forward and swung down with everything he had left. Gavin turned back in time to dodge sideways, stumbling and flailing his arm. His shortsword caught Taako in the bicep, scoring a long slice and spilling blood onto the dark blue stone.

"Fuck!"

Taako gripped his arm and felt warmth spill over his hand.

_Wait._

He looked up and caught a magic missile in the face.

_Shit._

Another struck him in the chest, then the stomach.

_Shit shit shit._

Taako fell to the ground, the sword thrown from his hands into the still-burning pyre of the chandelier as he was pelted by missile after missile. He reached for his umbrella and felt his hand smacked away by a wave of Force.

_This is bad._

The barrage ended. Taako lay curled in a ball, shielding his face and chest. Then his stomach dropped as he felt himself rise fast into the air, hover for a moment, and then plunge back to the ground. He slammed hard into the stone, and heard something crack.

_This is worse._

Again, Taako rose, and again Taako fell. Again, and again. Too fast for him to recover, to fire a counterspell. Too beaten to even reach for his umbrella, still tucked neatly into his belt and undamaged despite the force of his falls. He rose one last time, hovered, and then dropped into a heap on the floor. He was wracked with pain, unable to move, unable to concentrate on anything beyond a single thought.

_I'm done._

Taako saw Gavin's boots step towards him, singed and sooty. He realized he couldn't see out of one eye. Gavin prodded him gently with his foot. Taako whimpered.

"Well, now," he said, squatting down so Taako could see him. "We come, finally, to the end of this."

_God, why does he always have to fucking talk about it._

"As much as I loathe you — and believe me, that feeling has only intensified over the course of this duel — I must admit, you put up a much better fight than I ever expected you to. Quite creative. Even clever, in your own way."

Taako felt warm blood pooling under his cheek, pressed against cool stone. He tried to move his arm, give him the finger one last time, and found he couldn't.

"A quick death would have been preferable, wouldn't it? Sadly, you had to linger. I'll gladly end your suffering, of course." Gavin smiled; his was far crueler than Taako's had ever been. "That is, if you ask me to."

Taako moved his head, tried to straighten it, and sobbed from the effort. "I..."

"Hm?" Gavin tilted his head, raised a hand to one ear. "What's that? Are we begging?"

"I..." Taako swallowed blood and nearly retched. "I'm so..."

"An apology? Oh, that would be nice. Do continue."

With as much effort as he could manage, Taako raised his head from the ground. He looked at Gavin with his one good eye, and did his best to smile back.

"I'm so parched. Could you be a dear and get me a glass of water?"

Slowly, by degrees, the smile disappeared from Gavin's face.

"And a straw," Taako croaked. "Don't forget the st—"

Taako felt himself lift from the ground again, catch in midair, and fly across the room. Wind rushed past him, and with a loud smack, he bounced off the wall and crumpled to the floor.

"You know what? Fuck propriety." Gavin's boots stomped across the floor. "I'm going to enjoy this."

Something grabbed Taako from behind and tossed him up into the air. He landed in a large golden hand, which spun until everything was upside down. Then it began to squeeze.

"You know what I'm going to do?" Gavin said, stepping into Taako's vision. "I'm going to squeeze every last drop of blood from your body. Then I'm going to wax these fucking floors with it."

"D—" Taako gagged. "Don't forget to dust up—"

The hand squeezed harder. Taako screamed. His vision blurred, darkness creeping in around the edges. Unconsciousness, fast approaching.

"I'll deliver your head to the boy, as well," Gavin said, somewhere, a distant echo. "For no other reason than he should thank me for it."

As Taako felt himself go numb, falling into the pitch-black void that had accompanied every near-death experience in his life, he had a series of thoughts. The first was that he was honestly pretty upset that no one was around to see him go out like the absolute baller he was; the second was that Kravitz was going to be ultra-pissed when he showed up in the astral plane; and the last was, appropriately enough, about Angus.

Taako hoped he'd done alright, looking after him. Not _good_ , no, Taako was never going to be good at the job. Just okay. Acceptable. Decent. He'd be happy with that.

He really hoped he'd been decent.

_Sorry, pumpkin._

_Really hope you won't stay mad._


	22. Interlude IV: Family

_This is the worst I've ever felt_ , was the thought that kept running through Taako's head. It was difficult to argue with. Sure, there were moments where he'd been physically miserable, and times he had been despondent enough to shut down completely. But those had felt different. However bad it had ever gotten, he'd always known, somehow, that it would pass. Whatever malaise had gripped him, whatever new fresh hell he'd fallen into, he'd pick himself up (eventually, when he was good and god damn ready) and march forward.

But now Angus was sick.

He didn't know what it was; it seemed to come out of nowhere, but looking back, Taako could see the boy had been lethargic for days before he or Kravitz finally noticed. He'd skipped breakfast, barely eaten lunch, and got two bites into his dinner before he bent over at the waist and threw up between his shoes. Taako had panicked, because of course he had, and as a result he barely remembered what happened in the immediate aftermath. The last clear thought he had was, _it's happening again,_ and the next thing he knew he was sitting by Angus' cot in their wagon, hugging his knees, watching the boy's face bead with sweat as Krav pressed a cool washcloth to his forehead.

It couldn't have been him. In his head, he knew that. But Taako's head was swimming with all kinds of other things, so he couldn't hear himself think. He wanted to leave, go outside, get some air ( _flee the scene of the crime_ ) but he knew he shouldn't, couldn't ( _would never_ ) so he stayed.

"Sorry, sir," Angus mumbled, eyes blinking one at a time. "Didn't want to worry you."

"Shut up," Taako said quietly. "That's stupid. Never think that again."

Angus swallowed audibly and groaned as Kravitz removed the washcloth.

"Just getting a fresh one," he said. Calm. Assured. Kravitz had been so awkward around Angus for so long, and now all of a sudden he was chill as ice. Taako hated it. Hated it so much he kept his mouth shut, ground his teeth and glared at Kravitz when he wasn't looking. He grabbed a different cloth and soaked it in the tub; when he laid it across Angus' forehead, Kravitz smiled. Smiled! Taako didn't think he could smile right now if his life depended on it.

"Finish your water, Agnes," Taako said, pushing the glass on the tiny nightstand with his finger.

"Do I have to?" Angus asked.

"Need to keep your fluids up," said Kravitz. "It's important. And it'll help you get better faster."

With what seemed a prodigious effort, Angus hauled himself up on one elbow, took the half-empty glass in his hand, and drained it. He grimaced before collapsing back onto his pillow. Kravitz took the glass and set it aside.

"Okay, Angus," he said. "Get some rest now, alright? We'll be right here."

"Yeah," Taako murmured quietly. "Promise."

Angus looked at them both through hazy, barely focused eyes ( _he doesn't have his glasses on, that's all it is_ ) and nodded. He mumbled something that might have been a thank you, and then closed his eyes.

Taako spent the next two hours in that uncomfortable little chair, knees against his chest, watching the slow rise and fall of Angus'chest. After it became clear the boy was well and truly unconscious, Taako stood up abruptly and fled from the wagon.

_Not your fault, not your fault, never was, never will be—_

_But so what?_

Taako walked over to where the campfire had been, long since burned out, nothing but ashes now. It was a new moon that night, pitch black beyond the little alchemical lights hanging from their wagons. Taako skirted the edges of the darkness like it was a pit he was thinking of jumping into. He hugged his elbows and paced, ran hands through his hair, pressed a palm against his forehead.

_So what if it's not? So what?_

"Taako?"

He spun, saw Kravitz stepping down the wooden stairs from the wagon. The sleeves on his shirt were still rolled up. He looked concerned.

"Are you alright?"

Taako scowled. He wanted to shout at him, wanted to tell him to fuck right off and leave him alone, wanted to walk off into the night and lose him in the dark and not come back until morning, if he came back at all.

Instead, he opened his mouth and said, "It's my fault."

The confusion on Kravitz's face just pissed him off more, so Taako snarled and turned away, screwing his eyes shut, gripping his elbows with white knuckles. He was so preoccupied with keeping himself together he didn't hear Krav step beside him.

"Taako, you didn't..." He paused, chose his words carefully. "It wasn't anything you did."

"Shut up."

Kravitz laid a hand on his shoulder and Taako shook it off, stepped away and into the dark. He walked towards the log by the campfire, the big piece of deadfall they'd used for a bench, and collapsed onto it. His chest felt tight and hot, like it was about to burst. Kravitz followed him, sat down beside him, but didn't move to touch him again.

"The next town's not two days away," he said calmly. "There'll be a healer there who can—"

"What if he doesn't make it two days?!"

Taako's voice sounded louder than he'd meant it to. He glared at Kravitz like it was his fault.

"Taako," he said, furrowing his brow. "He'll be alright."

"How do you know?" he asked, accusing.

Now it was Kravitz's turn to glare. "Because I could tell if it were otherwise."

Taako stared at him as he processed that. The smile, the voice, the words he'd said — not ambivalence, but absolute, crystal-clear certainty. That knowledge grabbed Taako's anger and uprooted it. He felt it race out of him in a heaving exhale that left him exhausted. He looked away and felt hot tears in his eyes.

"He's still a boy," Kravitz said. "Boys get sick sometimes. It's what they do."

Taako shut his eyes again and quickly wiped them with the back of his thumb. "If I hadn't brought him along," he said, letting that sentence hang unfinished.

"He'd still get sick from time to time," Kravitz said. "You couldn't have prevented that no matter how hard you tried."

A hand ghosted its way up Taako's spine, rested on the back of his neck. When Taako didn't object, Kravitz stood and kneeled in front of him. Both his hands rested on Taako's neck and cradled his head, bringing their foreheads together. Kravitz's thumbs drew little circles below his ears, and Taako sighed.

"Whatever happened to no regrets?" Kravitz asked gently. "Hmm?"

Taako swallowed, and his next breath shuddered through him. Because he was right.

"What's happened to me?" Taako asked, quietly, desperately. "I don't... I don't get this way. I don't."

"A family will do that to you."

"Family." Taako said the word like he'd never heard it before. "Like. Married-with-kids family?"

"Yes, dear," he deadpanned. "This tends to be the definition."

Taako suddenly felt very stupid — his latent hatred of vulnerability finally catching up with him — and he couldn't stand to look Kravitz in the eye, so he pulled him into a hug and buried his face into the crook of his cold, cold neck.

"He used to be a person," Taako murmured into his shoulder. "Just another person."

"So did I," Kravitz replied, as quietly. "So did you, too."

"This isn't me, Krav. I can't do this."

Kravitz chuckled, not unkindly. "You already have, dear, and you know it."

And Taako wept, because he was right.

* * *

 

When they went back into the wagon, Taako was still miserable, except now he was also exhausted. But at least he could think straight. He sat back in the tiny chair, scooted it next to Angus' bed, and rested his head on his forearms. Kravitz took the other chair, by the foot of the cot.

At some point, Taako dozed off. He didn't know for how long. He woke up to someone poking him in the forehead. He swatted the hand away with a scowl and opened his eyes.

"Morning, sir," Angus said, smiling weakly.

"Oh, hey, pumpkin," Taako said gently, blinking hard and rubbing his eyes to make sure he was awake. "How ya feelin'?"

"A little better," the boy said. "Throat still hurts, but my stomach settled down. Mr. Kravitz went to fix breakfast."

Taako almost scoffed; Kravitz could barely boil water without step-by-step instructions. He sat up and felt his vertebrae creak as he stretched.

"You look awful, sir."

He looked down, startled. Angus had put his glasses on and was grinning at him.

"Yeah, well, you're not in great shape, either," Taako said, ruffling the boy's hair before letting his hand drift down to his forehead. _Fever's broken. That's good, right? I think that's supposed to be good._ "We'll get you to a healer soon, okay?"

"Okay," Angus said with a nod. "Do I have to stay in bed while you drive the wagons?"

Taako cocked an eyebrow, ran his hand across the boy's hairline before letting it drop. "That's... the assumption, yeah."

"But fresh air is supposed to be good for your health, right?"

"Well, I mean..." Taako looked away, struggled to come up with some good reason to keep him in bed—that's where sick people needed to be, wasn't it? "There's, y'know, there's differing schools of thought—"

"Just for a little bit," Angus said. "It's just... it's really stuffy in here."

Taako looked at him, at the uncertainty in his eyes, at the hope in the arch of his eyebrows, at the soft grimace he put on when he felt like he was being a bother.

"Sure, kid," Taako said, patting him on the head again. "It's okay by me."

Angus blew out a breath and smiled, and Taako almost hated himself for how much joy it gave him. "Thank you, sir."

"No problem." Taako sighed and looked towards the wagon door. "I should go and check on Krav Maga, make sure he hasn't set the other wagon on fire. You good for a minute?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

Taako stood from his seat, stretched out another wave of stiffness from his back, and started to turn towards the door. Then he stopped, bent down, and through thick hair and sweat and a million things telling him not to, he pecked Angus on the top of the head.

"Be back in minute, bubeleh," he said casually, turning away.

He didn't look at Angus as he left, didn't see his reaction at all. But he imagined the look on his face, the shock and surprise and joy and pride and the big l-word that Taako would never say, and his chest felt looser and lighter in a way he hadn't expected.

That's what a family does to you, he figured — changes you from the inside out, whether you want it to or not.


	23. Final Round

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains description of serious physical injury. Forewarned is forearmed.

"Don't you touch him!"

Angus punched his wand forward; Bigby's Hand materialized by his side and shot ahead, fist clenched. It punched Gavin across the room and sent him careening into a bookshelf. He collapsed under a pile of scrolls and hardbacks, his own Hand winking out of existence, dropping Taako in a heap onto the floor.

He rushed to Taako's side and dropped to his knees. Taako was beaten to hell and back; one arm bent unnaturally at the elbow, rivers of blood trailed from his nose and mouth and a gash on his forehead, and one of his eyes was swollen shut. The other was half-open, glassy and staring at nothing.

"Sir?" Angus whispered, hands hovering, wanting to touch but afraid to. "Sir, please..."

"God damn it all!" Gavin shouted at the other end of the room, crawling out from under a pile of books. "This is the worst day!"

Angus tore himself away from Taako, pushing himself to his feet and stepping away.

"McDonald," Gavin said loudly, wiping blood from his nose. "I've got far more respect for you than that... thing, over there, but if you stand in my way—"

"Surrender," Angus shouted, unable to hide his emotion, "and I'll go easy on you!"

Gavin rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, that obsessive desire for truth and justice. You, at least, will care why I'm doing this—"

Angus fired a Scorching Ray. Gavin barely managed to bring a Shield up in time.

"Last chance!" Angus shouted.

"For fuck's sake!" he hissed. "Fine! You know what? Fine! I don't need anyone to listen anyway!"

Gavin flicked his wrist, and a small white rod with an ornate head flew from one of the shelves into his waiting hand.

"I didn't want to waste this," he growled. "These artifacts are too precious to be used needlessly. But you leave me no choice."

He swung it in a half-moon motion. It rang like a bell, and lights flew from the head, buzzing like wasps around him, sparkling and flashing. One by one, they flew into his chest, and Gavin's eyes, now full of anger, began to glow a bright blue.

"You were a fine and respectable employer," he said, throwing his wand aside, raising the ancient stave. "I'll try not to enjoy this too much."

Angus clenched his jaw.

_I can't beat him. He was a better wizard before. He's more than that now._

Angus reached behind him with his free hand and pulled his blackjack. It was heavy, its weight comforting.

_You're not a wizard._

_Don't fight like one._

He did the last thing Gavin would expect, the dumbest thing he could — he charged straight ahead.

"Goodbye!" Gavin shouted, pointing the rod. A green beam of light shot towards Angus' chest.

He flicked his wand and Blinked without losing a step. He ran straight through Gavin, passing through his ethereal image like smoke, slid on his heel, and spun. He pulled back, cocked his arm, and timed his swing perfectly.

Angus Blinked back into the material plane and smashed Gavin in the side of the head with his blackjack. Gavin reeled, stunned, and Angus pulled his arm for a second backhanded blow which landed less cleanly across his brow. Before he could recover enough to cast anything, Angus flicked his wrist and disappeared, Invisible, and sprinted away.

"You little—!" Gavin staggered backward, swinging his rod. "Where are you?!"

_Ears'll stop ringing in a second. We can fix that._

Angus flicked his wrist and cast Prestidigitation, and sound branched out and away and behind; all corners of the room echoed with the sound of shoes on stone.

"Damn it, stand still!" Gavin shouted, firing ray after ray at empty air.

Angus ran the perimeter of the room, waiting for his moment. When he found it, he turned and charged Gavin again. He didn't turn in time, and Angus aimed for his kidneys. The sound Gavin made was almost comical, and Angus took another swing at his head as his Invisibility flickered out.

It didn't land — Gavin recovered faster than he'd expected, and a wave of Force punched Angus in the stomach and sent him flying across the room. He landed on his back and rolled backward onto his knees, adjusting his glasses.

"That's enough!" Gavin screamed, rearing back and holding up the ancient rod. "If you want to fight like a dog, then die like one!"

"You mean like this?!" Angus shouted, and flicked his wand.

A fifteen foot sphere of pitch-black Darkness shot outward from where Gavin stood, enveloping him. As he bellowed in frustration, Angus started running again, Prestidigitation masking his footsteps. A fireball shot out from the darkness and struck where Angus had been moments before; the wash of heat across his back nearly sent him stumbling. He circled again as another nasty looking spell he didn't even recognize flew from the dark and hit the bookshelves at the far end of the room, vaporizing them in a flash of green fire.

Angus chose his moment, and rushed into the center of the darkness. He lowered his shoulder and felt himself connect with Gavin, tackling him to the floor. He raised his blackjack and swung, again and again, aiming for anything. He had him, this was it, if he could only knock the rod away—

There was a blinding flash, and Angus felt himself shoot up into the air. Gravity swung sickeningly around him, made him unable to get his bearings, and he landed hard on his side

_Get up, get up—_

Angus pushed himself up, felt his shoulder pop back into place and nearly cried out. He felt for his glasses and found them intact. His blackjack was still here, its leather strap wrapped around his wrist. His wand — where was his wand? He glanced around for a moment before he saw it rolling away on the floor. He reached out—

A Scorching Ray shot inches from his head, searing hot. Angus recoiled, scrambling backward. When it was over, all that was left of his wand was smoke and ash.

"You people."

Angus spun quickly to his feet.

Gavin looked miserable. He was bleeding profusely from the nose, now, and big splotchy bruises covered his forearms and face. His cheek had begun to swell, and when he spit blood, a tooth bounced across the floor. The blue glow in his eyes was flickering and unsteady.

"I've worked so hard," he said slowly. "For so long. My cause is righteous. My vision is clear. And I will not be beaten by a little boy and his fucking dog!"

He jabbed his stave forward. Another ray shot from it, white with frost. Angus tried to dodge, but it was no use — it caught him cleanly in the chest and threw him onto his back with a yell. He slammed his eyes shut and curled up around his chest.

_Oh god it hurts it hurts it hurts—_

He rolled onto his side and managed to open his eyes. Taako lay a dozen feet away, unmoving.

_He went through worse. So can you._

Angus rolled onto his arms and pushed himself up on one knee. Gavin hadn't moved. He stood there, staff extended.

"Stand up," he demanded. "So I can put you down again."

Rubbing his ice-burned chest, Angus shook his head. "I won't give you the satisfaction."

Gavin's eyes widened, and he reared back and cackled. He seemed almost manic, now.

_Your wand is gone. You've got no cover. He's got you dead to rights. Think. Think!_

"Fine!" he shouted. "Deny me even that! You can burn together!"

_Together?_

Angus looked to his left. Taako lay there. His umbrella was tucked into his belt.

_"What's this? What have you got here?"_

_"It's my wand, sir."_

_"Now, see, the problem is lots of people get wands, and they think, well, magic time, baby. Like starting a wagon. But really the wand is just a conduit for the magic that has been inside you, all along."_

_"That's wonderful!"_

_"Yeah, it's pretty inspirational and shit."_

_"So how do I get that magic to come out of me, sir?"_

_"Put the wand down first."_

_"Okay."_

_"So the first thing is, what if you don't have your wand? Good question, right? It's sitting there on the table. Now, this is the first spell I'm going to teach you. Are you ready?"_

_"Yes, sir."_

Gavin raised his staff high. Embers swirled around the head. "Any last words?!"

Angus grinned. "Mage Hand."

As Gavin swung his staff down, Angus threw up his arm, pulled back his sleeve, and fired his crossbow. The bolt caught Gavin in the shoulder, and he flinched backward with a shout. The fireball shot upward, striking near the top of a pillar with a thunderous explosion. Angus reached out and conjured a blue spectral hand. It grabbed the handle of the Umbra Staff, pulled it free and flung it towards him.

"No!" Gavin yelled, and with another swing, a stream of white-hot fire spit from his staff.

Angus caught the umbrella, opened it, and barely managed to shield himself behind it. He could feel his hands burning as he clutched the handle, flames licking past the edge, beginning to melt holes through the Umbra Staff. He shook his head as he felt his hair began to smoke.

"Seriously!" Gavin shouted desperately. "What the holy fuck is that thing made out of?!"

_Can't move, it's a channeled spell. You have to push forward. Gust of Wind, that's what Taako used, if you can follow behind—_

_No, can't. He's seen that before, he'll know what's coming._

Even inches from white-hot fire and seconds away from almost certain death, the eureka moment still made Angus laugh.

_Yes, he will._

Angus pulled his hand back and cast Gust of Wind. The umbrella pushed forward against the force of the flames, slowly at first. Angus let it go, letting a gap build between them, then followed behind. He pushed his hand forward and the wind picked up in strength, pushing harder and faster. The staff accelerated. Angus started to jog behind it.

He heard Gavin laugh. "Oh, no you don't!"

Bigby's Hand, iridescent neon gold, appeared above the umbrella as the fire beyond it began to fade. It reared back...

_Now!_

...and smashed the Umbra Staff, palm down, as Angus broke into a sprint. He charged on top of the hand, scaled and crossed it in two large strides as he dragged his hand across his blackjack, and jumped. Gavin was below him, eyes wide. Angus brought his arm down for one last strike, and Gavin brought his staff up to block it.

Then it exploded.

Angus knew about how strong emotions could have an effect on magic — he'd read about it before, though he'd never encountered it personally. It was a phenomena even the most studious of wizards didn't fully understand. He would never be sure what emotion, precisely, had affected his spell that day. Love. Hate. Anger. Vengeance. (Was "revenge" even an emotion? He wasn't sure how you'd go about defining something like that.) Regardless, when he'd cast Magic Weapon on his blackjack, he hadn't expected it to do much; it was an act of desperation, of hope that even the slightest enchantment might make the difference.

He certainly hadn't expected the deafening shockwave, or the tremendous force that knocked him away from the point of impact faster than he could process. He felt himself hit the floor, bounce, roll end over end until he smashed into the wall and slumped to the floor.

Angus blinked. His vision was blurry, hazy — had he been unconscious? — and he reached up to touch his glasses.

_Gone._

He sat up. The effort made him cry out. He looked down at his right arm and saw it hanging limp at his side.

_Broken._

Angus gingerly pushed himself to his feet, and cried out again when he fell down.

_Ankle's sprained._

He glanced around the room. No movement. No sound at all. The silence was roaring in his ears in the aftermath of whatever just happened.

_Taako._

Angus got onto all fours and peered as hard as he could. He thought he saw — yes, there, on the floor. That blur had to be Taako. He crawled as quickly and as carefully as he could, occasionally whimpering when he jostled his arm or pushed with the wrong leg.

"Taako?" he called out, weakly. "Sir?"

No answer.

"We did it, sir," he said, crawling closer. "We stopped him. You can wake up now."

Still nothing. Angus drew up next to him, and this close the details became upsettingly clear — Taako looked exactly as he had when he'd come in. He hadn't moved an inch.

"Sir."

Angus leaned over him and took one of his hands in his own. Hot tears welled up in his eyes.

"Please wake up."

Someone moaned across the room.

Angus looked up and squinted. A vaguely humanoid blob was pushing itself to its feet.

"Boken," Gavin said, thickly, barely comprehensible. "You... boke ih..."

He picked up two white shards, then dropped them despondently. Gavin stood, and Angus started glancing around.

_Staff, where's the staff—_

"Can't be-eve... you boke ih..."

He stood, shuffling slowly over towards Angus and Taako. There was something in his hand, something very long, very dark, and very sharp. Angus couldn't see the staff, couldn't see anything clear enough to matter.

"I wah... oh clo-e..." Gavin brought a hand up to his head, stumbled a bit, but advanced further. "I could hah... changed th' orld..."

Angus tried to raise his arm and nearly screamed. He reached over with his other hand and tried to raise it, level the crossbow, but the pain was so strong...

Behind Gavin, Angus saw movement. An umbrella, twisted and broken, turning itself inside out, sucking in pieces of something. As it finished, it snapped close with such force it bounced, straightening itself into its original, pristine shape.

He raised his hand, tried to Mage Hand it to him, but Angus couldn't see, couldn't concentrate past the pain to get the hand to coalesce—

"I'll 'how you!" Gavin said, nearly within arm's reach; his nose was broken, and one side of his face was bruised and swollen. He raised the Flaming Raging Poisoning Sword of Doom above his head. "I'll 'ake you pay!"

Angus slammed his eyes shut and threw himself over Taako's body.

A bright light flashed over Angus' head, and he heard the sound of steel against stone. He opened his eyes and looked up.

Gavin had staggered back and dropped the sword. He managed to maintain his balance just as another magic missile flew straight into his face. Gavin stumbled, rocked on his heels. He held up his forefinger, froze, and with a final pitiful moan, fell onto his back.

Angus looked towards the door. He didn't need his glasses to recognize Silvia's silhouette.

Her arm lowered, and she turned away. "We need a healer! Now!"

Angus turned back to Taako. "Sir, a healer's coming. You're gonna be okay."

No answer. No movement.

"Sir?" Angus grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Please, sir!"

Nothing.

"You can't!" he shouted, voice breaking. "You can't go!"

Distantly, Angus was aware of Silvia approaching, eyes wide and hands over her mouth. He squeezed his eyes shut as he began to cry.

"You can't," he whispered.

Angus rested his head on Taako's chest. He started to sob.

"Please..." he begged, gasping for breath. "It's not fair..."

_I never even said goodbye._

Something touched the back of his head. Silvia. He shook his head and cried harder.

Then he felt Taako's chest rise.

Angus pulled away far enough to realize that the hand on the back of his head was Taako's. His eye blinked, and he smiled weakly.

"Hey, bub."

Angus sobbed and smiled back.

"D'you win?"

He nodded furiously.

Taako groaned quietly. "Feel like I missed a recital."

Angus laughed, soft and broken. "It's okay."

Taako chuckled and winced, then slowly shut his eye. "Proud of you, Angus."

"Proud of you too, sir."

"Not mad?"

Angus took his hand again and squeezed. "Not mad."

Taako smiled again as a silver-haired dark elf knelt by his side and laid glowing hands on his chest.

"Thanks, pumpkin."


	24. From Where We Began

As he woke from a dreamless sleep, Taako reflected that for someone who didn't particularly need it, he spent a lot of time unconscious. He'd wondered in the past if that was something common to elves, or if he was a particularly lazy example of one. Though to be fair, a good portion of that unconsciousness wasn't exactly voluntary.

_Alright, that's enough introspection. Where the hell are we?_

Taako wasn't in pain, exactly, but he was sore literally everywhere, from toe to tip and skin to bone. He flexed his fingers and his toes (all accounted for) and tilted his head to work out a kink in his neck before he bothered opening his eyes.

Clean bed, with white sheets. Clean room, with no real furniture. Single window looking out at the city. Taako didn't have to be a fancy detective to know what a hospital looked like, though this one didn't look as fancy as the last one he'd woken up in.

He looked to his right, and found Angus asleep in a high-backed chair by his side. His arm was in a sling, and he was wearing his old glasses; Taako still recognized the places where eleven-year-old Angus' makeshift mending spells had put them back together just a little bit bent.

Taako smiled and took a slow, leisurely breath.

_Everything's okay._

Then he turned to his left, and found Kravitz sitting in the opposite chair. Arms crossed. Glaring at him.

_Or not._

Taako swallowed and chuckled nervously. "Hey, rabbit."

Kravitz leaned over and twisted Taako's ear.

"Ow ow ow ow—"

"Do not _rabbit_ me," Kravitz growled. "You nearly died."

He let go and Taako rubbed gingerly at his ear. "Yeah, but... I didn't? So—"

"I get a call from Angus, out of the blue. He put me on with a healer. I had to listen to them detail your extensive injuries, and the likelihood of your recovery, all while I was sitting in our living room reading _Fantasy Home and Garden_ thinking everything's fine because you didn't call me!"

"Hey—"

"You should have called me," he hissed, anger mixed with hurt. "Why didn't you call me?"

Taako grumbled, noncommittal. "Didn't really think about it."

Kravitz scoffed and leaned back in his chair, looking away.

The sad part was, for once, Taako wasn't bullshitting; he'd never considered calling Kravitz for help. Not once.

"It wasn't—" _—your business,_ is what he had been about to say, but Taako cut himself off before he said something he might actually regret. "—I felt like I could handle it."

"Handle it?" Kravitz whispered in disbelief.

"Yeah. Handle it." Taako frowned. "I can take care of myself. Been doing it a long time."

"Again." Kravitz leaned in and tweaked his ear again. Taako winced and swatted his hand away. "You. Nearly. Died."

"So I made a bad call!" he said quietly, holding his hands out. "It happens from time to time!"

"And what happens when you make another 'bad call'?"

"Jeezy creezy, my dude, what is your damage?" he hissed back. "Even if I died, it's not exactly 'so long and farewell,' is it? It'd be like moving to another county for you."

Kravitz looked actually offended, and for a second, Taako was legitimately confused as to why.

"You think this is about me?"

_Oh._

Taako turned. Angus was still fast asleep. Thankfully.

"Contrary to what you may think, there are people in the material world who give a damn about your continued presence in it." Kravitz crossed his arms again. "Think about that the next time you decide to do something monumentally stupid."

Taako turned back with a sneer. "I'm not exactly in the habit of rushing in, Krav."

"Oh, so this was a fluke, then?" Kravitz asked. "And what caused it?"

Taako opened his mouth to respond and Kravitz cut him off.

"I can't believe you sometimes." He raised a hand and gestured emphatically between the two of them. "You could have talked to me, could have tried to say something clearly for once in your life. Instead you go off and nearly get yourself killed because running away is apparently the only way you know how to communicate! And then when something happens to you, I have to live with knowing it was my fault—"

Taako reached out and grabbed his hand. Tight.

"Listen," he whispered firmly, glaring at Kravitz. "Because this is important. Any stupid, callous, selfish decision I make? That's on me. Not you. Not Angus. Not anyone. No one, and I mean _no one_ , runs Taako's life but Taako. Capisce?"

He let go and looked away with a scowl.

"Nothing I do is anyone's fault but mine."

Silence. Taako hated this kind of silence. It was absolutely miserable. Maybe that hadn't been the right thing to say, or the kindest. But it was the truth. That ought to be enough.

"You really are very self-absorbed," Kravitz said flatly. "You know that."

Taako nodded, staring at the wall. "Yup."

Kravitz sighed. Taako chanced a glance in his direction. He was resting his head in his hand, rubbing his forehead. He straightened and leaned back in his chair.

"Just call next time," he mumbled wearily. "Talk to me. Please."

Taako was about to insist there wouldn't be a 'next time' if he had anything to say about it, but decided against it. Instead, he nodded, eyes drifting down to the blanket.

"Sorry," he said softly. "I know I'm... me. And that's... it can be rough."

"Yes. It can."

Taako gritted his teeth. When he looked up, Kravitz wasn't smiling, but he wasn't frowning, either. He simply reached over and held Taako's hand, ran his cold thumb across along the knuckles.

"But I don't have any regrets."

Taako felt his mouth twitch into a smile as he leaned back into his pillow.

"Cool."

* * *

 

Taako dozed off again; he didn't feel at a hundred percent yet, and didn't feel like waking Angus if he didn't have to. He blinked his eyes open to find the boy standing by the door, arm out of the sling and talking to Silvia.

"'Sup?" Taako groaned as he sat up. "What'd I miss?"

Angus rushed over and hugged him immediately. Taako winced.

"Okay, okay, still sore, thanks."

"Sorry," said Angus, pulling away. He looked beyond relieved. "Kravitz went to get food, you've been out for nearly a day and we were starting to get worried."

"You kidding?" Taako rolled his shoulder. "I'm the picture of heal — ow."

Angus laughed — it felt like an age since he'd last heard that — and rested his hand on Taako's shoulder. "I'm just glad you're okay, sir."  
Taako smiled and pat his hand. "Likewise, boychik."

He looked over and saw Silvia standing by the foot of the bed, hugging her elbows and smiling nervously.

"Angus filled me in on everything that happened," she said. "Pretty crazy week you've had."

"Eh." Taako shrugged dismissively. "I've had crazier."

"That's... actually true," Angus said, somewhat reluctantly.

"Oh, hey, uh." Taako gestured vaguely in Silvia's direction. "Sorry for, y'know. Thinking you were evil and shit."

Silvia brushed it off. "It's cool. I mean, I would have thought I was evil too."

Taako nodded towards Angus. "He didn't."

She blinked. Angus quietly cleared his throat and looked away.

"Nope," Taako said flatly, propping his elbows on his knees. "Never a doubt in his mind. Should have trusted him to begin with, but I'm a real stubborn asshole, y'know?"

Angus blushed and gently pushed his shoulder. "Taako."

"What? It's the truth, ain't it?" He turned to Silvia. "Boychik's always been an excellent judge of character. You'd think I'd know that by now, but here we are."

He extended a hand.

"We cool?"

Silvia smiled and shook his hand. "We cool."

"Good."

Taako didn't let go.

"You break his heart and I'll destroy everything you hold dear."

Angus' eyebrows shot to the top of his head and his mouth fell open.

Silvia didn't flinch. She leaned in closer.

"Likewise."

Taako grinned and nodded, satisfied. He let go and turned to Angus.

"You should put a ring on it."

Angus sputtered helplessly. Silvia started laughing.

Just then, the door opened and Kravitz walked in. He held up two large paper bags and grinned.

"Who wants Fantasy Panera?"

"Oh, hell yes!" Taako clapped his hands together. "Garbage food! Let's go!"

* * *

 

Taako was halfway through his roughly-adequate approximation of a chicken club sandwich when the door opened again, and a tall woman in plate armor stepped inside. Silvia dropped her sandwich and shot to her feet with a salute.

"Lord-Commander!"

"Oh, sure, come on in," Taako said through a mouthful of dry bread. "Not like I'm recuperating or anything."

"At ease, Lieutenant," the tall woman said to Silvia, amused. "You're off-duty, remember?"

Silvia shuffled nervously, then sat back down. Her sandwich lay forgotten on the bed.

"Is something the matter, ma'am?" Angus asked curiously.

The woman shook her head. "Not at all. Simply an informal debriefing."

She turned to Kravitz, still seated by Taako's side, roast beef on rye in his hands. "Sir, if you'd excuse us?"

Taako reached over and rested his hand on Kravitz's wrist. "Like hell."

The tall woman frowned slightly, and opened her mouth to speak before she was interrupted.

"It's fine, Dierdre. They're all owed some answers."

Lady Blisk walked in and closed the door behind her. This time, Silvia and Angus both shot to their feet.

"My Lady!"

"Lieutenant." Lady Blisk nodded to her. "Dierdre explained how quickly you and your captain acted in the face of a, shall we say, reluctant chain of command. She's recommending you for a civil commendation. You should be very proud."

Silvia looked like you could knock her over with a feather. Taako sneered — both at her thrill at validation and at what he saw as a thoroughly inadequate reward — while Lady Blisk conjured a small floating disk upon which she sat. Silvia and Angus both returned to their seats. Kravitz, to Taako's silent appreciation, had done nothing during all this but continue to eat his sandwich; working directly for a goddess made you a lot harder to impress.

"Captain Yates and his cadre have been sworn to secrecy about what little they know regarding the context of all this," Blisk explained. "The only ones who know the full truth about the Door and its Key are the people in this room. I'd like very much to keep it that way."

Angus nodded. "Of course, ma'am."

"Yes, my Lady," Silvia said.

"Sure, fine, whatever," Taako mumbled, taking another bite.

"Where's the Key now?" Angus asked. "Destroyed?"

"Sadly, the enchantment is too powerful to ever fully destroy," Blisk said with a sigh. "But you have my assurance that the _Flying V_ is as far from anyone who might use it as is possible."

"And the Door?"

"Locked. Hopefully for good, this time." Blisk crossed her legs and rested her cane in her lap. "Of course, this means that the Museum has been informed you were unable to recover the painting — its theft and subsequent destruction have finally made the news."

Angus nodded. "Figured."

"Rest assured, however, that the city of Neverwinter recognizes and honors your valor, and will richly compensate you for services rendered."

"Oh, that's not necessary—"

Taako slapped Angus hard across the shoulder.

"...but I'll accept it graciously, ma'am," Angus said, rubbing his arm. "Thank you."

Blisk smiled. "It's the least we could do. Truly."

"What about Gavin?" Silvia asked. When all eyes turned to her, she shrank a bit. "I mean... what'll happen to him?"

"'Gavin' is an alias," Dierdre explained. "His real name is Gabriel Vincent Stanton. Lady Blisk expelled him from the Guild of Magi some years ago after repeated offenses regarding misuse of magic and unauthorized experimentation. Apparently, he'd been operating under a number of different names before he arrived at your door, Mr. McDonald."

Angus grimaced. "He was very thorough. I checked his background myself when I hired him, and didn't find anything out of place."

Blisk shook her head. "You couldn't have known. I doubt anyone would have suspected."

"Mr. Stanton will be spending the rest of his life in a cell," Dierdre said sternly. "Somewhere isolated and very, very quiet."

"Wait, wait, wait, hold the fucking stone." Taako set his sandwich down. "He's still alive?"

Everyone looked at him. Blisk and Dierdre nodded.

"What the fuck?" Taako threw his hands up. "I went through all that shit and he's not even dead?! Fuck this!"

Angus closed his eyes, amused. "Sir."

"No, for real! I am very upset! That bitch-ass piece of shit should be in the ground!"

"Death would be preferable, yes."

Everyone turned to look at Dierdre, including Blisk.

She shrugged, nonplussed. "Well it would."

Blisk gently patted Dierdre's arm, and turned back to the group.

"Well then. Any other questions?"

No one spoke. Kravitz set down his roast beef and extended a hand towards her.

"Pickle?"

She considered it for a moment, then plucked it from his hand and took a bite, humming appreciatively.

"I suppose that's that, then," Dierdre said with a chuckle.

"Oh!" Blisk said suddenly, swallowing quickly and reaching into a small purse on her belt. "I nearly forgot. There is one last thing. More of a formality, really, though I'll spare you the ceremony..."

* * *

 

"Y'know, I didn't really think they gave these out anymore?" Taako said as he adjusted his hat and admired the large ornate key in his hand. It was as long as his umbrella and twice as heavy, made of pure gold that caught the sunlight as they left the hospital.

"They were meant to go to the city gates, originally," Angus explained, hefting his own key in his arms. "But since the gates are always open these days, it's more of a ceremonial thing."

"Could fetch a lot of dough if we melted 'em down."

Angus looked at him knowingly. "Or make a nice piece of statement jewelry."

Taako's eyebrows rose. While he reexamined the key in this new light, Silvia came up alongside Angus.

"So what's the first thing you're gonna do, now that you're out of the hospital?" she asked.

Angus looked up thoughtfully. "I guess put an ad in the paper. 'Help wanted. Light office work. No murderers need apply.'"

"Make sure to underline that last part," said Kravitz.

"Double underline," Silvia added. "In bold."

"Yeah, because the last guy was so forthcoming about his personal history," Taako said sardonically.

Angus laughed. "Maybe I'll swing it solo for a while."

Silvia quirked an eyebrow. "Solo?"

He turned to her and grinned. "Well, not all the time."

While the two of them made goo-goo eyes at each other, Taako slipped his wrist through the key and let it dangle from his forearm beside his umbrella. He leaned against Kravitz's shoulder. Kravitz stuck his hands in his pockets and leaned back.

"Young love, Krav," he drawled. "Ain't it sweet?"

"Sickly so, dear."

A loud horn sounded from the down the street. All of them turned to stare at the very large, very fancy wagon with the ornate side-plating and silver-capped wheels puttering down the street. It came to a stop in front of the hospital doors, and the driver — clad in fancy longcoat, goggles, and driving gloves — jumped down onto the sidewalk.

"A gift from the Lord High Steward," he said, bowing to Taako. "With much appreciation to you, sir."

Taako stared at the driver and blinked. He looked at the wagon and blinked again.

"You know," he said, "I'm really starting to come around on that chick."

"Brilliant," Kravitz sighed. "Now we have to take the long way home."

"Who said anything about home?" Taako wrapped an arm around his neck. "We need to take this baby on the road!"

"Taako, please. I'd really prefer to—"

"We could head to Goldcliff," Taako suggested, wiggling his eyebrows, and drumming his fingers against his husband's shoulder. "It's not more than a week out. There's nice hotels, fancy restaurants—"

"Really, dear?" Kravitz said flatly, unimpressed. "Restaurants?"

"—and a casiiiiinooo," Taako finished in a sing-song tone.

Kravitz opened his mouth and froze. Nothing about his expression changed, but Taako saw the red in his eyes light up.

"You know, it has been a while since we've had a proper vacation."

"Hell yes it has!" Taako stepped back and pushed Kravitz forward. "Now go and figure out how to drive that thing. I'll be right there."

He turned around. Angus had stepped back with Silvia, and was stowing his key in a bag of holding on his belt. As Taako sauntered over, Silvia touched Angus' shoulder.

"I'll, uh. Wait over here."  
Angus smiled and squeezed her hand. She turned away and walked back towards the hospital.

"Well, Ango," Taako said with a tip of his hat. "Wish I could say it's been fun."

"Yeah," Angus replied with a chuckle. "Me too."

"Was good to see you, though."

"You too, sir."

They stood across from each other, within arm's reach. Taako felt like there was something else he should say, but he wasn't quite sure what.

"I told you I'm proud of you, right?" he asked, stroking his chin.

"Yes, sir." Angus smiled and adjusted his glasses nervously. "It meant a lot."

He nodded absently. "Right. Good."

"And I'm glad you came. I... don't know if I could have done this without you."

Taako scoffed. "Please. This idiot wizard? All I do is drag you down."

"That's not true, sir," Angus said firmly, shaking his head. "Not at all."

Taako ignored him and waved dismissively. "C'mon, boychik. Don't play. We both know it's the truth. I taught you a few tricks, sure, kept you fed and clothed and shit, but everything you are now — every good thing, at least — that's all you. Don't know where you got it from, but it wasn't me."  
"Sir!" Angus exclaimed, gently taking Taako by the shoulders. "Stop."

Taako shut his mouth and looked away for a moment — the boy's gaze had gotten very intense. When he looked back, Angus was fighting tears. Taako felt a tightness build in his chest.

"Sir." Angus spoke firmly, squeezing his shoulders. "You didn't just teach me how to cook and cast spells. You taught me how to look after myself. You taught me about loyalty, and responsibility, and how there's meaning in our mistakes. You were there when I needed you, every time. And all that because an eleven-year-old kid asked to come with you, and you didn't hesitate for a second. I wouldn't be half the person I am if it wasn't for you."

Taako stared at him. The tightness in his chest got worse. He blinked. Blinked again. His lip began to quiver. He sniffled, looked away, looked back. There was no escape.

Angus blinked back tears, smiled, and said, "I couldn't have wished for a better dad."

_Ah, fuck._

Taako sobbed. Angus pulled him into a hug and held him as he cried into his shoulder. Taako shuddered and shook, clutching tightly at the back of Angus' jacket as he rode out this despicably visible display of emotion.

"I love you," Angus said quietly.

Taako sniffed loudly, and so softly he barely heard it himself, whispered, "Love you too."

He spent a minute there, sobbing into the boy's shoulder. As he got a hold of himself, he took long, shuddering breaths. Taako gently extricated himself from Angus' embrace, and shook his head.

"Fuck you," he grumbled, rubbing his eyes. "Ruined my makeup, you little twerp."

Angus reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. Taako snatched it from his hands with a scoff.

"Of course you have a handkerchief," he said snidely, drying his face. "What are you, eighty?"

Angus grinned. "Next time you can conjure one yourself, Mr. Wizard."

Taako laughed, brief and watery. He wiped his cheeks and then pocketed the handkerchief without offering it back. Angus chuckled and pushed him gently in the shoulder.

"So," Taako said, avoiding eye contact. "See you at Candlenights?"

In his periphery, Angus nodded. "Absolutely."

"Cool... cool."

He sniffed loudly and exhaled, forcing himself to look at Angus one last time. He looked as upsettingly vulnerable as Taako felt, but he was smiling, and that made Taako smile back.

"Take care, kiddo," he said.

"You too."

Taako tipped his hat, and turned away. He climbed up into the driver's bench alongside Kravitz, who rubbed a hand across Taako's back.

"We good to go?" Taako asked.

"Good to go," Kravitz replied slowly. "Unless... you'd rather stay?"

Taako barked out a humorless laugh. "Hell no. I've had more than enough of this fuckin' town. Let's get goin'."

He looked back while Kravitz started the arcane engine. Angus and Silvia stood on the sidewalk outside Neverwinter General, holding hands. Taako took off his hat and waved it.

"Adios!"

The wagon kicked on and started puttering down the street. Angus and Silvia smiled and waved as they left. As they turned a corner, Taako sighed and leaned against Kravitz's shoulder.

"Good kid."

Kravitz kept one hand on the controls and wrapped the other around Taako's shoulders.

"That he is."

Taako closed his eyes and smiled privately.

_I did good._

* * *

 

_"So when's the ceremony?"_

_"We're not getting married, sir."_

_"Really? Because it sounds pretty serious to me, is the thing."_

_"Sir."_

_"Alright, alright, jeez. She's coming up for Candlenights, though, right?"_

_"Yeah. She's excited about it. So am I, actually."_

_"She hasn't met any of the Bureau before?"_

_"Nope."_

_"Poor maydl."_

_"I don't know, I think she'll get along great with everyone. Especially Magnus."_

_"Yeah, sure, him and his rustic fuckin' hospitality. But you know he's gonna be asking about that ring too."_

_"...shit."_

_"Yep. Done fucked yourself, boychik."_

_"...well, at least Merle will be there to preach about the evils of marriage."_

_"Ha! If you're lucky, he'll be half-cut on Redcheek cider before dinner."_

_"You're cooking, right?"_

_"No, I'll be there cheering Magnus on — of course I'm cooking! What kind of question is that?"_

_"Just asking! Thought I'd get there early and help. Make sure I'm not getting rusty, y'know?"_

_"I wouldn't turn down my faithful assistant."_

_"Apprentice."_

_"Sure, sure, that's what I meant."_

_"Right. Well, I'll call again before we leave."_

_"Cool. Keep it real, Angarang."_

_"You know it. Love you!"_

_"...yeah, yeah, you too."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who read this far, who read from the beginning, who left kudos or a comment or just enjoyed this over-long self-indulgent nonsense. Y'all have gotten me through some tough times, and I appreciate it more than I can say.
> 
> And thanks most of all to orchidcactus, without whom this fic would never have been finished, let alone been any damn good whatsoever. You are the shiniest diamond, and there is no better beta (or friend) in the world. <3
> 
> If you want to yell at me about Taako, Angus, my OCs, found family dynamics, or how I've got like three sequels to this rattling around in my head, hit me up on tumblr @mystery-moose!


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